f/k/a . . .

Thank goodness for my StatCounter Keyword Analysis page – it reminded me

that August 31st is “Love Litigating Lawyers Day.”  It seems that Evan Schaeffer

and Beldar are too humble to bring up the topic.  Even Overlawyered.com has

overlooked it, as has How Appealling. 

 

Last March, I wrote a post describing my unsuccessful search for Hug a Lawyer 

Day or a Lawyer Appreciation Day.  The closest I could find was today’s designation

of Love Litigating Lawyers Day, which is mentioned on a couple of Celebrations Lists. 

Although our post is the #1 Google results for queries like lawyer appreciatin day>,

I’m sorry to say that I have no additional details about how the day is celebrated or who

sponsors it (of course, I have my suspicions).

 

The best I can do — in true Prof. Yabut and skepticalEsq fashion — is to collect a few

of my favorite quotations about litigation and trials, for you edification.

 

Let’s start with some observations from Abraham Lincoln’s notes to law

students: 

“Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever

you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser —

in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has

a superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.”

 

“Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does

this. Who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register

of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up strife, and put money in

his pocket? A moral tone ought to be infused into the profession which should

drive such men out of it.”

If that’s too serious, here’s a bunch from Poetic Justice, edited by Jonathan and Andrew

Roth (Nolo Press, 1994):

As a litigant, I should dread a lawsuit beyond almost anything else short

of sickness and death. 

                               — Judge Learned Hand

 

The houses of lawyers are roofed with the skins of litigants.

                           - -Welsh proverb

 

A lawsuit is a fruit-tree planted in a lawyer’s garden.     

                             — Italian proverb

 

The lawyer’s prayer: God grant that disputes may arise that I may live.

                                  — Spanish proverb

 

May you have a lawsuit in which you know you are right.

                                    – Spanish Gypsy curse

 

Lawyer: A fellow who is willing to go out and spend your last cent to

prove her’s right.

                           - Anonymous

  Finally, the always-insightful Gore Vidal has noted:

For certain people after fifty, litigation takes the place of sex.

 

If you prefer cartoons, here’s a goodie from Wiley and one with Lawyer Snoopy.

 

For those who want something meatier to chew on, go to the ABA webpage on

Choosing Mediation Over Litigation.   If you’re one of those lost souls who fears

there just isn’t enough litigation in America, we suggest checking out our Dec.

2003 post Are There Really Too Few Trials?

 

• 
  
  When you’re finished celebrating litigators today, don’t
  
  
  forget that Aug. 31st is also National Box Car Day,
  
  
  Trail Mix Day, Eat Outside Day and Mutt’s Day.

The it's "Love Litigating Lawyers Day" by David Giacalone, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.