Understanding Lawyer Jokes

 

Lawyer jokes. They are very common. They are hardly the only jokes by profession. There are jokes for every sort of musician and singer, for instance.

Q. What does a violinist use for birth control?
A. His personality.

Q. How can you tell the stage is level?
A. The bass player drools out of both sides of his mouth.

So, why are lawyer jokes so popular? Is it because there is some grain of truth to them? Is it because lawyers promulgate them? Is it because everyone has experience of lawyers at some point in their lives?

Lastly, do you have any good lawyer jokes?

Special thanks to @garyrobbins for the inspiration to write this.

Edit: Look through before posting. The joke about the young lawyer arriving at the Pearly Gates and being told they thought he was older based on billable hours has been told…and told…and told…

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  1. Chuck Enfield Inactive
    Chuck Enfield
    @ChuckEnfield

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    Well, we could. But after my first IT job where I heard too many of them, I made it clear to people who worked for me that I didn’t care for dumb user jokes. They didn’t put us in the right frame of mind for the way I wanted us to relate to people. And we didn’t indulge in them, at least not what when I was around.

    I’m with you when it comes to IT peoples’ attitudes toward users.  I’ve observed that much of the IT community thinks “dumb user” is redundant.  Rather than users’ challenges being an invitation for us to do better, their “stupidity” becomes our excuse for serving them poorly.  Dumb user jokes don’t bother me per se, but IT people seem to have built a culture around the notion that users are dumb.  Anything that propagates that meme is problematic.

    • #391
  2. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Well, we could always go for IT jokes.

    Well, we could. But after my first IT job where I heard too many of them, I made it clear to people who worked for me that I didn’t care for dumb user jokes. They didn’t put us in the right frame of mind for the way I wanted us to relate to people. And we didn’t indulge in them, at least not what when I was around.

    Yeah, I’m a killjoy.

    That’s not being a killjoy, that’s good business sense.  You don’t want to instill that attitude about the people paying you money.

    • #392
  3. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Chuck Enfield (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    Well, we could. But after my first IT job where I heard too many of them, I made it clear to people who worked for me that I didn’t care for dumb user jokes. They didn’t put us in the right frame of mind for the way I wanted us to relate to people. And we didn’t indulge in them, at least not what when I was around.

    I’m with you when it comes to IT peoples’ attitudes toward users. I’ve observed that much of the IT community thinks “dumb user” is redundant. Rather than users’ challenges being an invitation for us to do better, their “stupidity” becomes our excuse for serving them poorly. Dumb user jokes don’t bother me per se, but IT people seem to have built a culture around the notion that users are dumb. Anything that propagates that meme is problematic.

    I don’t think it’s specific to IT. Anywhere you’ve got someone backing up an end user, you’re going to have stories about how stupid those end users are.

    • #393
  4. Chuck Enfield Inactive
    Chuck Enfield
    @ChuckEnfield

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):
    I don’t think it’s specific to IT. Anywhere you’ve got someone backing up an end user, you’re going to have stories about how stupid those end users are.

    True, but if plumbers think we’re idiots because we put grease down our sink drains it doesn’t really matter.  They’re not going to install my toilet differently because they think I’m stupid.

    IT people design systems for users.  Those systems are often poorly designed and/or implemented, which results in problems for users.  Unfortunately, IT people are predisposed to blame the users for these problems rather than themselves.  They conclude it’s a waste of time to anticipate and avoid user issues because nothing is foolproof to a big enough fool.  It makes them demonstrably worse at their jobs.

    • #394
  5. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Chuck Enfield (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):
    I don’t think it’s specific to IT. Anywhere you’ve got someone backing up an end user, you’re going to have stories about how stupid those end users are.

    True, but if plumbers think we’re idiots because we put grease down our sink drains it doesn’t really matter. They’re not going to install my toilet differently because they think I’m stupid.

    IT people design systems for users. Those systems are often poorly designed and/or implemented, which results in problems for users. Unfortunately, IT people are predisposed to blame the users for these problems rather than themselves. They conclude it’s a waste of time to anticipate and avoid user issues because nothing is foolproof to a big enough fool. It makes them demonstrably worse at their jobs.

    Sure. I haven’t been in that position in a situation where it actually mattered, although I can understand where the impulse comes from.

    • #395
  6. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Chuck Enfield (View Comment):
    IT people design systems for users.

    IT people design systems for IT people.

    • #396
  7. Hank Rhody, Probably Mad Contributor
    Hank Rhody, Probably Mad
    @HankRhody

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    Chuck Enfield (View Comment):
    IT people design systems for users.

    IT people design systems for IT people.

    You can tell by the lengths they go to to keep other IT people from screwing up their work.

    • #397
  8. Chuck Enfield Inactive
    Chuck Enfield
    @ChuckEnfield

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):
    Sure. I haven’t been in that position in a situation where it actually mattered, although I can understand where the impulse comes from.

    I make the problem sound worse than it is, but trust me when I say it’s a genuine problem.  Here’s an example.

    I was out to lunch with a small group of IT types, including a former coworker who’s now a freelance DB admin.  The subject of requirements gathering comes up.  This DB admin tells of a recent situation in which he designed a database for a small business customer.  One of the database fields was an integer, and there was a requirement under some circumstances to divide another numeric field by this integer field.  The “professional” DB admin didn’t bother to ask if the integer field value could be zero.  Well, it turns out that it could, and it was, and the DB blew up resulting in downtime for his customer and an emergency service call for him.

    Was that a perfectly understandable and excusable mistake on the DB admin’s part?  Absolutely, but he didn’t see it as his mistake.  He blamed the customer for not telling him it could be zero.  He didn’t learn anything from the experience.  It was just another stupid user story to him.

    • #398
  9. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Franco (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    To come full circle, from a real lawyers’ lawyer:

    Possibly my favorite series of all time! I have a draft about that show half finished. Watching this scene again the actor playing Chuck is brilliant ( as he is throughout the series)

    It’s a great show, and makes more sense if you watched Breaking Bad.  I just wish I hadn’t seen Odenkirk on one of those grim and earnest celebrity “If you vote for Trump, you’re an inbred” videos.

    • #399
  10. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    RightAngles (View Comment):

    Franco (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    To come full circle, from a real lawyers’ lawyer:

    Possibly my favorite series of all time! I have a draft about that show half finished. Watching this scene again the actor playing Chuck is brilliant ( as he is throughout the series)

    It’s a great show, and makes more sense if you watched Breaking Bad. I just wish I hadn’t seen Odenkirk on one of those grim and earnest celebrity “If you vote for Trump, you’re an inbred” videos.

    That’s your own fault for watching those videos.

    • #400
  11. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Chuck Enfield (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):
    Sure. I haven’t been in that position in a situation where it actually mattered, although I can understand where the impulse comes from.

    I make the problem sound worse than it is, but trust me when I say it’s a genuine problem. Here’s an example.

    I was out to lunch with a small group of IT types, including a former coworker who’s now a freelance DB admin. The subject of requirements gathering comes up. This DB admin tells of a recent situation in which he designed a database for a small business customer. One of the database fields was an integer, and there was a requirement under some circumstances to divide another numeric field by this integer field. The “professional” DB admin didn’t bother to ask if the integer field value could be zero. Well, it turns out that it could, and it was, and the DB blew up resulting in downtime for his customer and an emergency service call for him.

    Was that a perfectly understandable and excusable mistake on the DB admin’s part? Absolutely, but he didn’t see it as his mistake. He blamed the customer for not telling him it could be zero. He didn’t learn anything from the experience. It was just another stupid user story to him.

    Sure. Of course, I don’t think I would assume that a field couldn’t be zero, but I can’t know that for sure.

    • #401
  12. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    RightAngles (View Comment):

    Franco (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    To come full circle, from a real lawyers’ lawyer:

    Possibly my favorite series of all time! I have a draft about that show half finished. Watching this scene again the actor playing Chuck is brilliant ( as he is throughout the series)

    It’s a great show, and makes more sense if you watched Breaking Bad. I just wish I hadn’t seen Odenkirk on one of those grim and earnest celebrity “If you vote for Trump, you’re an inbred” videos.

    That’s your own fault for watching those videos.

    I didn’t watch it on purpose! It assaulted my eyes.

    • #402
  13. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Michael Avenatti.

    • #403
  14. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Stad (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):
    Gary is only the second lawyer I’ve “met” who takes offense at Lawyer jokes.

    The best jokes about profession, ethnicity, race, and sex comes from people of those persuations. I’ve heard the best lawyer jokes from lawyers, engineer jokes from engineers, Polish jokes from a gal of Polish descent whom I dated in college, etc.

    And smart blonds know the absolute best dumb blond jokes . . .

    Stad (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    How can you tell if your accountant is an extrovert?

    He looks at your shoes while he’s talking to you, instead of his own.

    My wife’s favorite joke (she worked in the life insurance industry as a programmer):

    Q: What is the definition of an actuary?

    A: Someone who didn’t have enough personality to be an accountant.

    Accountant: A person who blends into an empty room. (The wonderful Mrs. Tabby is a retired accountant.)

    • #404
  15. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    Michael Avenatti.

    • #405
  16. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Hank Rhody, Probably Mad (View Comment):
    Just so I’m clear on this, we’re telling jokes and not demonstrating irony, right?

    So, know any bald guy jokes?

    We know it’s raining before the rest of you do (I first heard that from Christian evangelist Greg Laurie).

    • #406
  17. MKM Inactive
    MKM
    @Badgawfer

    There’s nothing in this world funnier than dead lawyers.  

    Does anybody know any good dead cable news pundit jokes?

    • #407
  18. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    MKM (View Comment):

    There’s nothing in this world funnier than dead lawyers.

    Does anybody know any good dead cable news pundit jokes?

    Let’s not get started again. The mods have had a hard enough day.

    • #408
  19. Mike-K Member
    Mike-K
    @

    Ontheleftcoast (View Comment):
    “Tuberculosis? What tuberculosis? Your wife doesn’t have tuberculosis. I told her she had too big a tuchus and was going to have to diet.”

    All right one more. A man went to his doctor and said he wanted a castration. The doctor questioned him closely and suggested he wait a while and think about it.

    He was back in a month determined on a castration. OK. The doctor scheduled it and the operation went off with out any trouble. The patient is lying in the recovery room and sees the guy in the next bed is about his age. He says, “What operation did you have?” The guy answers, I had a circumcision.”

    The patient says, “Dammit, that’s what I meant !”

    • #409
  20. Mike-K Member
    Mike-K
    @

    Here’s a live lawyer joke. Four college roommates make a bet. They will each promise to put a thousand dollars into the casket of the first one to die.

    Years go by and they are all professionals, a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, and a lawyer.

    Finally one dies. It’s the engineer. The surviving three go to the funeral. The doctor puts a thousand dollars into the casket. The Accountant and Engineer do likewise. The lawyer puts a check for four thousand into the casket and takes the three thousand cash as change.

    • #410
  21. JosePluma Coolidge
    JosePluma
    @JosePluma

    Mike-K (View Comment):

    Here’s a live lawyer joke. Four college roommates make a bet. They will each promise to put a thousand dollars into the casket of the first one to die.

    Years go by and they are all professionals, a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, and a lawyer.

    Finally one dies. It’s the engineer. The surviving three go to the funeral. The doctor puts a thousand dollars into the casket. The Accountant and Engineer do likewise. The lawyer puts a check for four thousand into the casket and takes the three thousand cash as change.

    Okay.  Now we’ve seen that one three times. 

     

    • #411
  22. OccupantCDN Coolidge
    OccupantCDN
    @OccupantCDN

    JosePluma (View Comment):

    Mike-K (View Comment):

    Here’s a live lawyer joke. Four college roommates make a bet. They will each promise to put a thousand dollars into the casket of the first one to die.

    Years go by and they are all professionals, a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, and a lawyer.

    Finally one dies. It’s the engineer. The surviving three go to the funeral. The doctor puts a thousand dollars into the casket. The Accountant and Engineer do likewise. The lawyer puts a check for four thousand into the casket and takes the three thousand cash as change.

    Okay. Now we’ve seen that one three times.

     

    Third time was the charm…. At 200 posts a day, there are probably many duplicate posts.

    • #412
  23. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    A woman was walking along the beach when she stumbled upon a Genie’s lamp. She picked it up and rubbed it, and lo-and-behold a Genie appeared. The amazed woman asked if she got three wishes.

    The Genie said, “Nope…due to inflation, constant down-sizing, low wages in third-worl countries, and fierce global competition, I can only grant you one wish. So…what’ll it be?”

    The woman didn’t hesitate. She said, “I want peace in the Middle East. See this map? I want these countries to stop fighting with each other.”

    The Genie looked at the map and exclaimed, “Gadzooks, lady! These countries have been at war for thousands of years. I’m good but not THAT good! I don’t think it can be done. Make another wish.

    “The woman thought for a minute and said, “Well, I’ve never been able to find the right man You know, one that’s considerate and fun, likes to cook and helps with the housecleaning, is good in bed and gets along with my family, doesn’t watch sports all the time and is faithful. That’s what I wish for…a good mate.

    “The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let me see that map again.”

    • #413
  24. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Steve C. (View Comment):
    “The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let me see that map again.”

    I have heard another version of this with a man. When asked for his wish, he said, “Well, I’m afraid of flying and of the ocean and ships or boats, but I have always wanted to go to Hawai’i. Could you build me a large enough bridge that I could drive comfortably from here to Hawai’i without a plane or ship?”

    As with the other version, the genie says, “That’s unreasonable, etc.”

    So, the guy asks for the perfect wife and describes her. Same, t’ing.

    The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let’s talk about that bridge again.”

    • #414
  25. Chuck Enfield Inactive
    Chuck Enfield
    @ChuckEnfield

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Steve C. (View Comment):
    “The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let me see that map again.”

    I have heard another version of this with a man. When asked for his wish, he said, “Well, I’m afraid of flying and of the ocean and ships or boats, but I have always wanted to go to Hawai’i. Could you build me a large enough bridge that I could drive comfortably from here to Hawai’i without a plane or ship?”

    As with the other version, the genie says, “That’s unreasonable, etc.”

    So, the guy asks for the perfect wife and describes her. Same, t’ing.

    The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let’s talk about that bridge again.”

    And I thought I was bad at telling jokes. 

    • #415
  26. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    A line worker in Soviet Radio Factory 246 was called into the office of the factory manager. Sergei was worried because when you got called to the office there wasn’t very many good things that could happen. But he was wrong,

    Sergei was told because of his excellent attendance and his consistently exceeding production goals, he’d been specially selected to receive a new car. Because the car factory was implementing a new five year plan, he could not take delivery of his new car for 389 days. The manager consulted a calendar and told Sergei the car would be ready to pick up on April 29th.

    Sergei: Would that be morning or afternoon, comrade supervisor?

    Supervisor: Why would that matter?

    Sergei: The plumber is coming that morning.

    • #416
  27. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Steve C. (View Comment):
    “The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let me see that map again.”

    I have heard another version of this with a man. When asked for his wish, he said, “Well, I’m afraid of flying and of the ocean and ships or boats, but I have always wanted to go to Hawai’i. Could you build me a large enough bridge that I could drive comfortably from here to Hawai’i without a plane or ship?”

    As with the other version, the genie says, “That’s unreasonable, etc.”

    So, the guy asks for the perfect wife and describes her. Same, t’ing.

    The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let’s talk about that bridge again.”

    I’ve heard that version too.

    • #417
  28. Midget Faded Rattlesnake Member
    Midget Faded Rattlesnake
    @Midge

    Chuck Enfield (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):
    I don’t think it’s specific to IT. Anywhere you’ve got someone backing up an end user, you’re going to have stories about how stupid those end users are.

    True, but if plumbers think we’re idiots because we put grease down our sink drains it doesn’t really matter. They’re not going to install my toilet differently because they think I’m stupid.

    No, but I just had a plumber who fixed my toilet differently — and unhelpfully — because he thought I was stupid. He thought, “This poor woman doesn’t really know how to flush a toilet, does she?” Because the toilet drained alright for him when he tried it, he refused to believe I knew what I was talking about when I complained that the drain was beginning to clog, and would soon be totally blocked. 

    So, he had to come back when it was totally blocked, causing much hassle for all concerned, which could have been avoided if he just believed me the first time around.

    • #418
  29. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Chuck Enfield (View Comment):
    And I thought I was bad at telling jokes. 

    I wasn’t going to go into the full spiel when he just told its mirror. If I told one of my good jokes, I would get banned.

    • #419
  30. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Nick H (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Nick H (View Comment):

    There’s the oldies but goodies:

    What do you call a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?

    A good start.

    and

    What’s the difference between a dead squirrel in the road and a dead lawyer in the road?

    There are skid marks in front of the squirrel.

    plus my favorite

    Scientists have started using lawyers instead of lab rats in their experiments because the lab assistants are less likely to become emotionally attached, the lawyers breed faster, PETA doesn’t protest, and there are just some things even rats won’t do.

    Try substituting “Jews,” “blacks,” “gays,” or your ethnic background into those “jokes” and see if they are still so funny.

    That’s exactly the point. It wouldn’t be funny with any of those groups, but we can all agree that it’s darkly funny when it comes to lawyers. (Or politicians, or used car salesman.) Which says something about how most people feel about lawyers. And yes, I’m fully aware that it’s usually not the lawyers’ fault that people feel that way. For the most part people don’t need lawyers when good things are happening in their life, and that to an extent lawyers are being tarred by association. Does it suck for lawyers to be the butt of some dark humor? Probably. But that’s life.

    If only they had some kind of monetary compensation – like they got paid a lot. 

    • #420
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