the list (of criminals) is revealed

[Snapolit1]

As a lawyer, I endure daily comments, from friends, family, and complete strangers about what a sleazy profession. I am sure there have been dozens of sleazy lawyers comments in this thread alone. I guess I've gotten immune to such nonsense.

Wrong to disparage an entire profession obviously based on the actions of a few knuckleheads.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

As a lawyer, I endure daily comments, from friends, family, and complete strangers about what a sleazy profession. I am sure there have been dozens of sleazy lawyers comments in this thread alone. I guess I've gotten immune to such nonsense.

Wrong to disparage an entire profession obviously based on the actions of a few knuckleheads.

I really don't see any reason to apologize. You pointed out some basic truths on how certain occupations 'stretch the truth' (for lack of a better description). You never once indicated that ALL were guilty in each profession of such 'crimes'. And there is truth to what you said that this DOES happen in each profession.

I do find it interesting that those who teach or have taught were the most vocal in taking offense. Maybe, and as it relates to the thread, they other professions are silent here because they are the ones writing the tickets and using old fish.

And to someone's comment on "certainly not college professors", I'm hoping that was tongue-in-cheek or included rolling eyes.

[D.P.Johnson]

99% of all lawyers give the rest a bad name......

[autograf]

Originally Posted by D.P.Johnson

99% of all lawyers give the rest a bad name......

60% of the time, it works every time..............

[1880nonsports]

with 79% of all statistics incorrect - as a Florida resident I'll take my full 110% - 40% of me believes you - 40% siding with what lawyers have to say - and 35% of me undecided.

[Snapolit1]

I am actually always the guy defending teachers. I think it's beyond bizarre that people get their hackles up about a young guy or girl beginning their teaching career getting paid $21,000 a year, but no one seems to mind much that people are starting at an investment bank at five or ten or twenty times that and doing who knows what. Maybe it the whole summers off thing, but I see my brother grading papers on the weekends, making plans on the weekend, and always going the extra mile. It's a lot of hours if you care about what you are doing. As a society we think teachers of young kids are supposed to be both amazing babysitters and incredible educators, yet we treat them like second class citizens. Here where I live the teacher's unions haven't done them a whole lot of good (e.g., you can't fire the guy who inappropriately touched the kid without 27 hearings and have to keep him in a room somewhere collecting checks), but that's a different diatribe entirely.

[SAllen2556]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I am actually always the guy defending teachers. I think it's beyond bizarre that people get their hackles up about a young guy or girl beginning their teaching career getting paid $21,000 a year, but no one seems to mind much that people are starting at an investment bank at five or ten or twenty times that and doing who knows what. Maybe it the whole summers off thing, but I see my brother grading papers on the weekends, making plans on the weekend, and always going the extra mile. It's a lot of hours if you care about what you are doing. As a society we think teachers of young kids are supposed to be both amazing babysitters and incredible educators, yet we treat them like second class citizens. Here where I live the teacher's unions haven't done them a whole lot of good (e.g., you can't fire the guy who inappropriately touched the kid without 27 hearings and have to keep him in a room somewhere collecting checks), but that's a different diatribe entirely.

Someone once told me that teaching is the only career that demands the protection of a union while insisting on being treated as professionals.

There are great teachers out there who are grossly underpaid, but there are crappy ones who never get weeded out because of the union. I've never heard of a union for lawyers. At least they're wiling to make a living on their own merits.

[batsballsbases]

Originally Posted by D.P.Johnson

99% of all lawyers give the rest a bad name......

Its Funny when I went after a (lawyer) I wont say a name in this thread I got a PM and he asked me why I wasnt attacking the other lawyer that was also on the list. I found that very ironic....

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by tschock

I really don't see any reason to apologize. You pointed out some basic truths on how certain occupations 'stretch the truth' (for lack of a better description). You never once indicated that ALL were guilty in each profession of such 'crimes'. And there is truth to what you said that this DOES happen in each profession.

I do find it interesting that those who teach or have taught were the most vocal in taking offense. Maybe, and as it relates to the thread, they other professions are silent here because they are the ones writing the tickets and using old fish.

And to someone's comment on "certainly not college professors", I'm hoping that was tongue-in-cheek or included rolling eyes.

Nope, as a physician AND teacher's son, I rolled my eyes.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

As a lawyer, I endure daily comments, from friends, family, and complete strangers about what a sleazy profession. I am sure there have been dozens of sleazy lawyers comments in this thread alone. I guess I've gotten immune to such nonsense.

Wrong to disparage an entire profession obviously based on the actions of a few knuckleheads.

I can't think of any other profession where you can be successful by screwing people, and not be doing something illegal. The entire profession isn't sleazy - just certain branches.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Runscott

I can't think of any other profession where you can be successful by screwing people, and not be doing something illegal. The entire profession isn't sleazy - just certain branches.

Which branches are those?

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Which branches are those?

None of them Peter. They are all nice and there should not be any lawyer jokes.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Runscott

I can't think of any other profession where you can be successful by screwing people, and not be doing something illegal. The entire profession isn't sleazy - just certain branches.

Totally agree. I also think the law itself encourages a lot of this, but the Trial Lawyers Association resists any meaningful tort reform.

In many disputes, one party is in the right while the other isn't, or one party is reasonable and the other is greedy, and so on. There have to be plenty of times when lawyers think to themselves: "I'm working for the jerk and my job is to help him screw the good guy."

But, lawyers work for whomever hires them, and sometimes that's the jerk.

*Perry Mason was the exception - his clients were always innocent.

[Snapolit1]

A lawyers' job is to use every tool he or she possibly can to represent the interests of his client as long as they are within the ethical rules governing lawyering. A lawyers' obligation is not to you, or me, but to his/her client and the court. If you violate the rules and go over the line you should be punished.
Some times they're not, but for those of you outside the legal system you'd be surprised how many times state bar associations eventually catch up with the bad guys and root them out.

I always thought Johnny Cochrane gave the best legal performance of my lifetime, and I know he pissed off a couple of hundred million people. Was a zealous advocate. Did everything he could to get his client off the crime for a crime every one of us was probably convinced he did. Hell, people represented the Nazis in American courts. Representing unpopular people is I think the most noble part of the profession and upholds the values our country was founded on.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

A lawyers' job is to use every tool he or she possibly can to represent the interests of his client as long as they are within the ethical rules governing lawyering. A lawyers' obligation is not to you, or me, but to his/her client and the court. If you violate the rules and go over the line you should be punished.
Some times they're not, but for those of you outside the legal system you'd be surprised how many times state bar associations eventually catch up with the bad guys and root them out.

I always thought Johnny Cochrane gave the best legal performance of my lifetime, and I know he pissed off a couple of hundred million people. Was a zealous advocate. Did everything he could to get his client off the crime for a crime every one of us was probably convinced he did. Hell, people represented the Nazis in American courts. Representing unpopular people is I think the most noble part of the profession and upholds the values our country was founded on.

It's baffling to me that anyone would not understand the jokes and remarks about lawyers. The fact that lawyers are necessary and some of them are wonderful people doing wonderful things, is also understood.

Okay, I'm though trying to fix people on the internet for today.

[ALR-bishop]

If you are fortunate you may never need one. If you need one, tell them a bunch of lawyer jokes by way of introduction.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Mark17

But, lawyers work for whomever hires them, and sometimes that's the jerk.

Exactly - they are doing their job as their job is defined.

[masimen]

Originally Posted by Runscott

I can't think of any other profession where you can be successful by screwing people, and not be doing something illegal. The entire profession isn't sleazy - just certain branches.

How bout the record business?

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by masimen

How bout the record business?

maybe 40yrs ago.

[masimen]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

maybe 40yrs ago.

40 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, last week and today.

[Exhibitman]

Insurance. It is the only profession that consists of promising to help someone when they need it then trying to find ways to weasel out of it entirely or at least cut down on the value of the help to be rendered when the other side comes calling. There isn't a single insurance claim I've handled in 25 years of representing insureds where the insurance company hasn't tried to screw the insured out of something, whether by outright wrongful denial of a claim or by using unrealistic estimating tools to try to cut down on the payout.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Insurance. It is the only profession that consists of promising to help someone when they need it then trying to find ways to weasel out of it entirely or at least cut down on the value of the help to be rendered when the other side comes calling. There isn't a single insurance claim I've handled in 25 years of representing insureds where the insurance company hasn't tried to screw the insured out of something, whether by outright wrongful denial of a claim or by using unrealistic estimating tools to try to cut down on the payout.

Well stated and a hearty ditto! I can expand that period to at least 30 years of actual experience confronting that kind of behavior.

Best, Adam,

Larry

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Insurance. It is the only profession that consists of promising to help someone when they need it then trying to find ways to weasel out of it entirely or at least cut down on the value of the help to be rendered when the other side comes calling. There isn't a single insurance claim I've handled in 25 years of representing insureds where the insurance company hasn't tried to screw the insured out of something, whether by outright wrongful denial of a claim or by using unrealistic estimating tools to try to cut down on the payout.

+2. Suing insurers for wrongfully denying the claims of their insureds is the only type of case my partners and I handle. If insurers treated their insureds honestly, we would be out of business. We are, however, always busy.

[D.P.Johnson]

Originally Posted by Runscott

I can't think of any other profession where you can be successful by screwing people, and not be doing something illegal. The entire profession isn't sleazy - just certain branches.

Porn???

[nsaddict]

I'm not understanding why a few have mentioned they don't know or remember what a specific item is in which they got shilled? Very easy to look up. Legendary's website> history>,month and year> and lot # .

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by D.P.Johnson

Porn???

I'm done reading posts tonight because it can't get better. Freaking funny!!

[Beastmode]

Originally Posted by Stonepony

I'm done reading posts tonight because it can't get better. Freaking funny!!

[begsu1013]

Originally Posted by D.P.Johnson

Porn???

::slow clap::


well played, sir.

well played.

[Exhibitman]

That's why I stopped doing insurance defense: I realized the best day ever for an insurer's appointed defense counsel is the day he beats a genuinely injured person out of a recovery.

[Fred]

Adam,

Do you mean insurance companies would try to screw the beneficiary out of a "death" benefit? I suppose there could be a few reasons for the insurance company to try to fight it but in most cases, people just die and the policy was written and paid for to cover just that.

[Kenny Cole]

Originally Posted by Fred

Adam,

Do you mean insurance companies would try to screw the beneficiary out of a "death" benefit? I suppose there could be a few reasons for the insurance company to try to fight it but in most cases, people just die and the policy was written and paid for to cover just that.

Uh, yes. I realize that this question was directed to Adam, but I have two of those cases right now. I'm going to trial in one of them in a couple of months. The one I'm going to trial on was an accidental death policy (never get one, they do their utmost to cover nothing) where an 83 year old woman choked on food at a nursing home, aspirated it, and died within a 12 hours of aspiration pneumonitis -- an acute lung infection you can get when you suck food into your lungs. According to them, it wasn't accidental although they really can't explain why that isn't an accident. I mean, she obviously didn't intend to suck food down the wrong pipe and kill herself.

In the second one, the carrier paid the wrong beneficiary after receiving notice that he was the wrong beneficiary. Best as I can tell, the defense is that since they paid the policy benefits, albeit to a person they know wasn't the person designated to get them, they're off the hook. So the answer is yes, they will sometimes do that.