Like sharks lawyers are always hungry. Sharks never attack lawyers. Professional courtesy.

Hmm. Isn't there a joke about 5,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea being a good start? I think the primary reasons for the hostility lies in two areas: the cost of hiring a lawyer and the nature of the court system. When you hire a lawyer, you are not simply hiring one person; you are also hiring their receptionist, their legal assistant, paying their office overhead, and a host of other expenses. Lawyer time becomes expensive time very quickly. Many people get a surprise when they see the bill at the end, with individual charges for everything a mechanic tends to roll into one shop rate. Especially if the case did not come out in your favour. One happy winner, one grumpy loser. Any time the proceedings slow down, it costs you money. It galls people to pay a lawyer to sit on his or her backside for an hour or two while waiting for their time slot in court or for delayed paperwork from the other party. However, that's the price of hiring a professional to work exclusively on your behalf. The court system encourages compromise. While this is good thing in many respects, it takes more time than having a judge simply make a binding ruling. The time the two lawyers spend dickering with one another and with each party is time on your nickel. It usually pays off in the long run, but it can be irritating at the time. It can also be frustrating to try to work out an amicable settlement with a party who has no interest in being amicable and helps run up your legal expenses. (And their's, too.) Most lawyers are not the jackals they are often portrayed as in the popular media. There are few ambulance chasers and few heroes out there. Most lawyers spend their time in the thrilling world of business law, home ownership transfers, wills, and powers of attorney. Ho-hum.

If I may make an addition, lawyers and attorneys, in certain cases, incur expenses themselves hiring private investigators, researching material for previous court opinions, things of this sort. The rules of conduct for their profession are stricter and almost anything could be construed as misconduct. Like doctors, they carry a high malpractice risk.

Because they charge you a lot of money and do not really help you that much. It's a value for money thing, when you hand over £1,000 to someone, you expect £1,000 of work to be done. You don't expect no help, delay's, taking forever to get the job done, getting sued anyway, and the £1,000 going up to £10,000. I have never met a Lawyer who could give a straight answer, even to supposedly straight questions like "is this illegal?". You are more likely to encounter an answer like "Oh, well, sort of, you know, give me £500 and I'll get back to you next month on that one" (???????????????????) Half of them are also basically incompetent. If you think the law entitles you to something, a lawyer will not tell you you are entitled to it, instead you have to do your own research and spell it out to your lawyer what you want him to do. But for the amount of money you are paying him you are expecting (quite reasonably) that he should be telling you what you are, and are not, legally entitled to do, not the other way around. In summary, they're expensive and not very helpful. If you walked into a restaurant that was expensive, crap food and crap service and you had to tell the chef and the waiter how to do his job, you just wouldn't go back, but with lawyers you don't have that luxury, because on planet lawyer, ALL the restaurants are serving crap food. In most cases you are better doing your own research and representing yourself. It is your legal right. I am speaking from experience, but on a lighter note, it is interesting that there is around 9 million people imprisoned worldwide, where everyone calls them murderers, rapists, and scum, but to lawyers, they're called customers.

An example is the area of construction defects. Cases of legitimate construction defects are actually not common. For example, the foundation ruptures and the builder denies any responsibility. Reputable builders tend to go beyond contractual requirements to keep their customers happy. Teams of construction defect lawyers, however, descend like vultures on virgin subdivisions. They canvass neighborhoods recruiting homeowners who really don't have a gripe against the builder but can be swayed to the lawyers' premise that the builder is an evil corporation out to rip them off. They promise a handsome reward for participating in a class-action. The supposed "defects" are often cosmetic problems such as drywall cracks that reputable builders readily repair anyway. Unwary homeowners are not informed that participating in a class action could impair the resale of their home. A cynic might assume that these lawyers really don't care about helping hapless homeowners. Their main concern is more likely their slice of a class action windfall. People who get wealthy solely by exploiting legal loopholes might be resented by those less fortunate who do honest work. This type of lawyer could be perceived as a parasite that increases the cost of doing business for all builders and contractors. The ultimate loser is the consumer who pays higher prices for home building or home improvements. Distrust and loathing for class-action vultures may spill over to lawyers in general, which is unfortunate because there are bound to be a few lawyers in the Atticus Finch mold who devote a lifetime serving their fellow man.

Though I strongly believe that everyone should have access to a good defense, even I wonder how some lawyers can defend people that have obviously done very horrendous things. When lawyers help killers and child molesters off the hook by finding some technicality or legal loophole, you got to wonder if they're really thinking about how they're upholding the legal system or if they're just thinking about their wallet and their ego.

People hate lawyers for two reasons, both of which are more than a little unfair to attorneys. First of all, if you're in the position where you need to hire professional legal help, then odds are you're in a bad way. The fact is, no one has a good time going to court and lawyers are just a convient target for a lot of anger and resentment. Even if a person wins a court case, they generally aren't too happy anyways, because the only time a person goes to court is when something bad has happened. Courts experiences tend to be very negative no whether you win or loose, and lawyers burdern a lot of the hostility. If you loose, well obviously it's becuase your lawyer screwed up and if you win, obviously it's because you deserved to win. In fact, you would have won even if you didn't have a lawyer, that's how right you were about this whole thing. Besides, money and validation won't cure a dog bite or the trauma that comes with being assaulted. The other reason lawyers tend to be despised is that people often misunderstand the reasoning behind defense lawyers. No lawyer enjoys defending rapists and child molesters, but they are a necessary part of the legal process and without them there really wouldn't be much of a justice system. The point of defending someone is not to get them off the hook. Rather, when a lawyer defends a suspected killer, their job is to make the prosecution prove their case. Defense attorneys make sure that evidence is gathered in an ethical, Constitutional manner. They make sure that witnesses are not only firm in their beliefs, but also that the prosecution hasn't coached them or unduly influenced them. Without a defense attorney it would be far too easy for the State to incarcerate anyone they wanted. Obviously, my answer may not be relevant in all situations as it is based upon the oppositional structure and Constitutional framework of the American legal system; other countries have different (sometime radically so) legal systems, but I think this answer probably applies to most cases.

I would just like to follow Mike Davisson's answer. It is true that that is what the defence attorney's job is supposed to be. However, what most of us end up seeing and believing is that their job consists of, not the provision of the best possible defence that the accused can get nor the pursuit of justice, but using as many technicalities and loopholes as possible to have the case so narrowly defined that it becomes nothing more than a big game between the prosecution and the defence, with the judge not as the impartial facilitator, but as the referee of a boxing match. When much evidence is ruled inadmissible, when there are seemingly endless delays, when obviously guilty defendants go free, most of us can't perceive this as justice, but as legal manoeuvering. And lawyers are at the forefront of launching appeals to overturn convictions and having precedents interpreted so narrowly or so broadly that they seem unrecognizable. We want a justice system, but what we have is a legal system; and lawyers are the agents who prevent it by making sure that Lady Justice 'can't see the forest for the trees.' ----- Edit 21 Dec 2005 Please rate answers based on how well they answer the question, even if the question is about why something is less than ideal. The answer doesn't rationalize or excuse the situation, but helps explain it.

Some people lack respect for lawyers as most charge irrespective of their performance. They seem to spend a lot of time protecting themselves - literally at your expense, and their value only exists because of a system they set up. They, in essence, have a monopoly and like the 'robber barons' of old, we feel frustration and anger being manipulated by a people backing a system that seemingly is designed for them win (get money) everytime, no matter what happens. Also they tend ignore the intent of a law and instead use 'loop holes' to effect a result. Few have respect for that appraoch in a person in any other situation and in fact would think of them being childish if they used it. ie Well you didn't actually say I had to be home at 9. You said when the show was over. (knowing full well that the person didn't know the show was late that night)

This thief had just been arrested for a burglary. before being taken before a magistrate, to be officially charged with the offense, the following was observed: the thief was talking to an attorney, apparently discussing the attorney's fee. the thief had no money, so he offered the attorney a ring, off his finger, as a down payment. a curious detective observed this and approached both people. this particular ring was identifed as stolen from the same burglary the thief was being charged. since the attorney had the stolen ring in his possession, both were additionally charged with receiving and concealing stolen property. the thief was sent to prison and the attorney disbarred. hope this answers your question. p.s. in all fairness, most attorneys are honest. end

People hate lawyers because they don't realize that they should hate Congress instead. Many other countries have copied America in pioneering social structures such as our many free associatons, our business model, and mass production. No other country in the world has copied the horrible legal system we have, where it takes 25 years to carry out a death sentence, where lawyers get paid for filing frivolous lawsuits, where the ACLU can intimidate people by filing lawsuits for which they are paid by the government--but those they file suits against have to pay their own costs. The fact that many lawyers take advantage of the rules of the game makes many people hate many lawyers--but the lawyers don't make the rules. Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court do.

Because they love to argue... To some extent

Because you tend to have to part with a lot of money, seemingly for a small task. Also, it takes a long time for things to get resolved, and they not be resolved in the way you would like. You are leaving control to another person, and also passing on information that is confidential. Your personal and confidential information may end up being aired in a courtroom, so a lot of people get to know what you would rather keep quiet. Some lawyers dont have a good manner towards their clients. Maybe they feel invincible since it is difficult to complain about them. The law is a huge topic, and the language used is not friendly towards the "general public". we begin to get suspicious if we cannot understand what we are signing, and have to take the lawyer's word that we are doing the right thing. they have their own language, and way of doing things, that is often different to other businesses.

It's often a case of wanting to kill the messenger. Everyone has a personal, interior notion of what his or her legal rights are, what they're entitled to do or not do, what the law is about various things, etc. -- a more or less highly elaborated picture of their legal position vis-a-vis the rest of society. Unfortunately, this picture usually correspoinds to reality at surprisingly few points. Consequently, someone who comes into contact with the actual law is frequently in for an unpleasant surprise, and it will probably be a lawyer from whom they get the bad news. (And even if it's their own lawyer, they're liable to hold it against them.) For example, a lot of landlords have notions of their rights and powers over tenants that are five or six hundred years out of date, and sail along happily for decades, since most tenants don't know any better either. Then one day some tenant has a friend or relative who's a lawyer, or consults a legal aid group or something, and lo and behold, reality breaks in, whereupon the landlord assumes it's all the lawyer's fault. (Tenants get bad news from lawyers, too, but it's usually not a surprise.) And the same thing happens in lots of different areas. Large books are written about criminal law and procedure, and ones just as big could be written about the misconceptions people have about those areas. And when they chance to find out the truth about something or other -- possibly some principle firmly established for a couple centuries -- and don't like it, who gets blamed?

I would say that if a lawyer was honest ALL the time he would soon be out of a job.

I don't know that people generally- i.e. worldwide- hate lawyers. In many countries they are respected proferssionals. However there is no doubt that many Americans hate lawyers. The question should really be why do many Americans hate lawyers. There are I believe two answers- the apallingly expensive legal system which you have, and the cynical way in which many US lawyers manipulate the system to the advantage of themselves or their clients. Illustrations of the Byzantine and archiac legal system aren't necessary. The inherent flaws of the system are compounded by the huge number of expensive attorneys running it. Examples of abuses include the support of organised crime; representing nuclear power companies and other unpopular causes; running massive claims against big business, expecially the tobacco and automotive industries, and then taking a percentage; deliberately delaying justice in criminal, and especially capital, cases, and most importantly Hollywood. It doens't help that the entire profession suffers from the publicity given to the actions of a few (many of whom are literally fictitious!).

In Australia, particularly Queensland it is said that "99% of lawyers give the other 1% a bad name". People say this is because of the fees that are charged, and often the poor work that is done by the lawyer. I would put it down to more that the average layman or person just does not understand the way the normal professional legal practitioner works. For instance we charge fees on a time basis, and everything that we do is charged for. An example would be reading a one page letter. It is purely up to us to record how long we take to do the reading, and therefore we can charge on any basis that we feel is OK. Harsh reality? - I say no!! - Clients themselves can affect the way we charge, if we do not like our client, then we can charge two units of time for reading a letter that might only take one time unit in reality. The "taxing" rules (ie rules for checking costs accepted by the courts) in Queensland are so outdated that we can legally substantiate our fees when it comes to legal enforcement of collection of the fees, we always win, as basically it is the profession protecting the profession. Its always been done this way, and who of our bretheren is going to change it? We are taught by our peers, that it is most important to quickly make a value-judgement about new clients and the possibility of a success in court. If they have little or no hope of real success, it is important to make sure that they will be able to fund the greater part of the work they will ask you to do. In Queensland this involves getting as much money as possible into our trust account, before doing any work on the case. The harsh reality is that once a client's money has been placed into the trust account, we are able to "substantiate" our costs (often on the time basis I mentioned above). I understand that this can cause anguish and concern to clients, but then, it is we professionals who have spent years at university and as articled clerks etc learning the process of the law, and anyway who else can they turn to? From where does the aforementioned hatred stem? My explanation is that on the one hand they all too often treat their lawyer as a "friend" but then they are placed between a rock and a hard place as far as fees are concerned because their friend is a true professional. This indeed explains why most people seeking legal support, very rarely get to go "all the way" to court to fight it out. One reason is cost, and of course when regarding the high cost of law, (even the best practitioners try not to be too exact if asked to quantify the possible costs of litigation - costs are generally always made higher than a client suspects), the other issue then becomes one of trust - you trust your lawyer to be accurate, even on the basic issue of costs, but in reality, he can't - or often won't. This situation can actually bring contempt by the client for their own lawyers, and can be the basis for the question of why hatred? I believe , that it is not that people don't trust lawyers, so much as they do not understand the legal profession.

Let me preface this answer saying that I work with 6 attorneys at a nonprofit, independent agency, so my experience with lawyers may be quite different from that of the general population. "My" attorneys are salaried and we don't do billable hours. Our clients don't pay for our legal services. At our agency, we have the luxury of only representing those clients whose case meets our mission statement, so we don't generally have conflicts of conscience. I think that lawyers are hated because people don't understand that our legal system developed from the traditions of English common law. The basis of this system is "adversarial". It is not the pursuit of justice. A person is not allowed to enter a courtroom and state his case thoroughly. Every word entered into the record is required to be evidence or precedent. Attorneys have to uphold this standard and are therefore not permitted to include for the record those bits of information that may not be considered evidence or precedent (Like, your cousin Billy Bob once saw the defendant, Lucy, get into Edgar's Dodge Ram, and it was 2 in the morning!). Plaintiffs and defendants find this aggravating, and with good reason. You may only be allowed a "yes" or "no" answer to an attorney's question, when you feel that such an answer misrepresents the truth of a situation. ("Have you ever seen Lucy with Edgar?" "No, but my cousin--" "Just a yes or no answer Mr. Smith.") We expect justice in our courtrooms. We want people to be held accountable in a court of law -- we want them to experience the consequences of their actions. When we perceive that an attorney is preventing that, we hate him. But the attorney's job is not to pursue justice, it is to state the case of his client. In criminal law, the defendant is always innocent and therefore receives more latitude than the prosecution. A defense attorney then appears to be grasping at any loophole to prevent possible evidence from reaching the jury. This is his job, but, yes, we perceive him as slimy because of it. I agree that Congress is much more at fault for the failings of the judicial system than the attorneys themselves -- but a huge % of our legislators are -- attorneys!!! Go figure.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, really, although I suspect many people feel about lawyers the way I do for the same reasons. (Please note this applies only to lawyers in the USA, as I don't have experience with attorneys elswhere.) While I've actually known some decent lawyers, I despite lawyers as a group becuase of what I see them doing to every level of our society. For example: Malpractice litigation in the USA has boomed in recent decades, and is seriously impacting our medical system in many areas. While malpractice does occur and should be pursued, there are a lot of lawyers running around looking for any potential claim. They do this not to set things right, but to make money for themselves. They no longer care if a case is just or unjust, or what the law really intends; all that matters is whether they think they can convince a jury to award damages. This has led to skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates that are forcing many independent doctors either out of practice or into group "clinics," which don't support the doctor-patient relationships we once had here. Particularly hard hit are the obstetricians, as lawyers have managed to convince everyone that if anything is wrong with their baby, it's the doctor's fault. Because of the number of malpractice suits that allege certain infant disabilities were caused by birth problems that could have been prevented by ceasarian section, the number of deliveries by ceasarian section in the USA has dramatically increased. Interestingly enough, the rate of the birth defects that this was supposed to prevent has not gone down. In the meantime, more and more women are having unnecessary surgery and incurring unnecessary costs. None of this is based in medical necessity, it's caused by lawyers sticking their noses in where they aren't needed in their efforts to get more money. And there is hardly any part of life in America that hasn't been impacted in a similar fashion by lawyers. I also despise lawyers for causing our legal system to become their personal cash cow. Our founding fathers wanted a legal system that any adult citizen could use without having to have a barrister or lawyer to interceed for him. The average citizen can still go into traffic court without a lawyer, but for anything else, it's practically required that you have one of these high-paid specialists with you. That places "justice" out of the hands of the average citizen, and has led to the situation we have currently, where you are more likely to be found innocent if you have enough money to hire a "good" attorney. In addition, in seeking ever more clients (because for a lawyer, clients = money), the lawyers here have seriously erroded the American citizen's sense of self-responsibility. The Twinkie Defense and the PMS Defense are just two examples of the many ways lawyers have kept telling Americans that nothing they do wrong is really their fault. They are also further examples of how if you have enough money, you can buy your way to a "not guilty" verdict. There are a bazillion more ways that lawyers have negatively impacted every level of life in the USA., but most are along the lines of these examples. That's why I'm with the Bard: "...the first thing we do, we hang the lawyers...."

because they deserve it!

As a lawyer, I've found that most of the people who profess to despise lawyers are the same people who will call me at home, in the evening or on a Sunday afternoon, ranting about some wrong they have suffered and demanding that I sue everyone involved. Usually, it turns out that they created the problem themselves and are just looking for someone to dump on. These people usually have jobs that end at 5 p.m. yet they think nothing of bothering me at home for free advice. I wonder how the auto mechanic would react if I showed up at his home on a Sunday afternoon for a free oil change? What would the psychiatrist say if I called her for a free telephone consultation? I worked very hard to become a lawyer and I am proud of my profession. I help people. How many other people can say the same?

they are too expensive and it's almost wrong how often people need them these days

I find this all very interesting. I have wanted to be an attorney since I was 3; I just turned 25 and I am currently licensed in PA and NJ. I have an interesting perspective on this because I have to deal with "lawyer-hating clients" all the time. Despite the fact that I SOLELY handle a 50-client caseload, almost always return calls on time (unless I am in court), have gotten favorable results in many of my cases, am ALWAYS and I do mean ALWAYS available for my clients- including staying late to talk to clients who don't get off of work until late and can't call me until after 6- people STILL manage to complain. If they just retained you yesterday and you haven't gotten out a letter to their employer yet, they complain. If you're honest with them about something- "no, while this case is in litigation, it's NOT a good idea to talk crap about your employer on the internet and post your name as that is possibly LIBEL"- they complain. If you don't get the exact result that they expected (everyone always thinks they have "best case" and will win, despite what YOUR opinion is about their chances) they complain. The fact is people think that lawyers are money-grubbing selfish people with no morals who don't care about their clients. Well guess what? I make $55,000 a year at a LAW FIRM, and I have over $100,000 in student debt. I routinely work 12-hour days where I am screamed at by clients, judges, and opposing counsel all day long. I always put my clients first and I certainly do have morals. I work very hard and I work for people who are NEVER HAPPY with what I have done no matter HOW hard I work. People have no idea how stressful being a lawyer is and it's not all money and glamour, I'll tell you that right now. For example I recently won a pregnancy-discrimination case in front of the EEOC (extremely rare, discrimination is only found 2-5% of EEOC cases) and the EEOC suggested that my client received $300,000.00. Guess what? She COMPLAINED because she felt that if I had presented her case better she would have won more money. I'm not saying lawyers are innocent but "civilians" are not bucket of daises either. I'd love for someone to show me a profession without scandal, without money-grubbing people, without problems. And since everyone hates lawyers so much, why don't they read the law themselves (it's widely available online) and represent themselves in court? They can also draft their own contracts and deal with being fired THEMSELVES. That way we won't really need lawyers at all and you can put us all out of business. Hmmm. If that happened maybe I could pursue my dream of being an FBI Profiler. One can dream, right?

This has been said earlier, I believe, but it is largely due to the fact that lawyers typically enter one's life during an unpleasant time - when you're charged with a crime, when you're getting divorced, when you're being sued, when you've been seriously injured and want remuneration, etc. There are obviously many lawyers that lack customer service skills. Lawyering is expensive. Lawyers have gone through 150K in education expenses and have had to endure two months of preparation for the bar exam, a two-day nightmare. They have overhead as well - rent, secretaries, clerks, computers, health insurance, etc. The fact that they don't give you anything tangible doesn't mean that their service isn't worth a lot of money. You're paying for expertise (one hopes). If it legitimately takes a lawyer 3 hours to draft a contract and he charges 300 an hour then you've got yourself a $900 contract. Could he have done it in two hours? Maybe. He could also have missed something if he hurried opening the client up to contract liability and himself up to a malpractice claim. I just hope that, even as hungry as many are, they use good judgment and restraint when it comes to a claim that may be frivolous. As for their driving up malpractice insurance premiums for doctors - you'll find that insurance companies in recent years have not been paying out more for these runaway jury verdicts. Insurance company profits are at an all-time high. Lawyers are just an easy scape-goat. Why? Because everybody hates them.

Well, having been on the receiving end of a lawyer's boot recently, I can tell you why I hate lawyers. I recently had a run in with my homeowner's association. In a nutshell, I forgot to pay my dues. To make a long story short, after several months they sent it to a lawyer for collection. No problem there. I was behind. It was my fault. I paid the dues. But then there was the little matter of legal fees. $165.00. I got one letter from them. It was probably a form letter that their paralegal secretary printed out and mailed. I was out of town when that letter arrived so by the time I got back there was also a certified letter waiting. The same form letter by the way. I didn't think this was worth 165.00 quite frankly and wrote them a letter telling them so and offering them 75.00 instead. They forwarded this request to the association. Why? I don't know. It was evident that it was intended for the law firm, not for the association. I followed up by sending them another letter this time with a check for the dues and 75.00 for the legal fees. They wrote back and said, "we received your partial payment. Please remit the remainder by such and such date or additional fees will be added. Do you see where this is going? They didn't even acknowledge what I was asking them. They didn't acknowledge me with the dignity due me as a human being and they certainly didn't treat me with any respect worthy of a human being. So I wrote them a check for the remaining 90 dollars and before I sent it to them I took it with me when I walked my dogs and used it to pick up their poop. I was so mad!!! I hate them with a vile putrid stench like the feeling of acid in your stomach!!! They're conniving arrogant worthless slime. They're on the same level as the bacteria that eats the waste that pond scum excudes!!!

I don't. Its only the 99% of lawyers that give rest the bad name :P Seriously, I haven't encountered a bad lawyer yet.

I guess because if they're defending someone they know has actually murdered they still defend them and try to prove otherwise, even though they know the truth. They come across as money hungry and dishonest.

Cause we're so purty!

A really good question that I never hear anyone ask is "Why do people hate law schools so much?" If law schools didn't charge such insane tuition rates then maybe the lawyers they ultimately produce wouldn't feel so much pressure to make money. That way they could focus more on WHAT they are doing instead of what they are being PAID... and maybe the system would be a little bit better off!

1. the cost of lawyers is horrific 2. they dont care about people's feelings at all. I think that they are arrogant and don't really care about the client.

The MFers will nickel & dime you to death.

because another way to spell liar is lawyer. why do people hate lawyers? like any profession, the people who make the money get stomped on. they always represent the other guy. they are quick to make a buck from other people's problems. they love to double charge. in the sixties it was bad taste to advertise. now they cast bad taste out the window and now they advertise everywhere. there are lots and lots of different kinds of lawyers.

Becasue the ones you see on TV are obsessed with money, and support frivilouse lawsuites.

I love lawyers!!!! They come when you need them and save my ass!!!

Most of the politicians who write the laws are lawyers. All of the people who prosecute and defend are lawyers. All of the judges who decide cases are lawyers. And you can still ask why people hate lawyers?

The reason why I dont like lawyers is becasue they encourage people to sew for frivoulus things, that they will not profit from becasue they have already spent more than the amount of money they won paying for court costs and the Lawyer.

Because they lost?

Because they wouldn't give you the time of day without charging you for it, their fees are exorbitant and they think they know everything and make you feel like an ignoramus.

Lawyers will drag you into jury duty with the assumption that you have nothing better to do. If you don't go you may be arrested. ... Jury members perform the most important functions at a trial. It is up to them to reach a verdict. The jury is spoon-fed "expert" testimony and other types of evidence that the lawyers want the jury members to hear. The jury members are discouraged from doing independent research. So, despite having the most important decision to make (the verdict), jury members are treated like imbeciles who have no grasp of concepts like bias, ego, reliability of rumor, public policy, causal relationships …. So, the omniscient lawyers craft foolproof rules, lest the less cognitively endowed jurors get confused. … The jury members, whom are threatened with incarceration if they don’t report for jury duty, are paid $5.00 per day. Meanwhile the attorneys at the trial are “earning” $200.00 per hour. Lawyers conveniently forget about the 13th amendment when it is in the economic interest of their profession to do so. Also: (1) Most people hate lawyers because they do work that anyone could do and drain society of goods that people actually need. Legal research and writing is not rocket science. Most literate people could do a job on the level of competence expected from a lawyer. Workers who do indispensable jobs (e.g. farmers, builders, soap makers …) create the products on which we all depend. Lawyers do nothing to add to production, but they make money by criticizing the very workers we need to survive. This is a wealth transfer from doers to critics. A healthy economy can’t support too many people who do this, and the more there are the weaker the economy gets. (2) There are usually two opposing lawyers who, most of the time, advocate parties with opposing interests. If the law is so venerable and worthy of consideration, then why are two “experts” in the law needed? This seems suspiciously like an attempt to increase the demand for lawyers. (3) Lawyers are NOT gifted with exceptional intuition or utilitarian policy foresight. However, their whole existence is predicated on the widespread belief that the layperson has no business giving his or her input into legal policies. Thus, a cynic once quipped the law profession is a conspiracy against the laity. Should we delegate intuition, that is essential to draw from laypersons in a democracy, to a small percentage of the population that has no more knowledge of what is fair and what is not than the average citizen?

I work for the Court system and fully understand that exactly HALF the time, lawyers lose. 50% of the cases that come before this court are won and 50% are lost. There is always a winner in which case the attorney was a God-send, the magic man who came through for them. In the other half, the lawyer is a self-serving son-on-a bitch who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. It's all a matter of perception.

To the folks that think that they can do for themselves what a lawyer could do, I pity you if you ever come into the courts of my county thinking that you can do as well for yourself. I am in court every day and I see pro se litigants acting like attorneys they see on TV, trying to bluff their way through a proceeding. Usually they end up making fools of themselves and irritate the heck out of the judges. It would be amusing to watch if it weren't for the fact that these pro se buffoons usually take too much of the court's time, delaying other court proceedings. If you are representing yourself, you must adhere to the same rules of procedure that lawyers do and most pro se lititgants haven't a clue. To the person who said that attorneys don't produce anything or do anything that anyone else couldn't do, try telling that to the mother of a child involved in a long, nasty custody battle that I represent. I busted my butt fighting for her. When we won at trial this week, she cried with relief and thanked me about 600 times. This woman is no dummy. She's a doctor. Thankfully, she was smart enough to know that she couldn't handle something this important on her own.

It seems that lawyers always defend the scum of the earth. If i was a lawyer, i'd never lower myself to defend someone that clearly was in the wrong for any amount of money!

they dont care anymore. they charge so darn much just to walk through their office door. plus they pad the numbers and double charge. and there is no way to tell a bad lawyer from a good lawyer. they would rather charge you a quarter of a million dollars to keep your wife out of the county jail for something she obviously did not do, and then they fail to do that and they still want the money. they are sharks. they are in cahoots with the judges. with each other. they are slimey spineless split tongued vipers who say they are working for you, and in the end they are working for themselves and they care zero about you. they make deals with the judge about your sentence and dont even inform you of the possibilities or the choices. the court appointed lawyers are even worse if that is possible. their work load is so great, that they cant get personally involved in any one case. unless it is a sexy lady and then she gets help and dinner and a movie on the side. i need the services of a lawyer. and frankly i am scared to approach one with my problem. I just dont trust them. the small town lawyer used to be the better person when it just centered on property line disputes and fender benders and kids stealing cars. now its about drugs and weapons and hookers. the lawyers are basically legalized criminals.

Jeez, such sweeping generalizations! Speaking of generalizations, here's one for you: All people who make hateful generalizations are people who have to look up the word "generalization" in the dictionary, assuming that they own a dictionary.

Yep, Spinner, you have it all figured out. ALL lawyers are scum and in cahoots with the slimey judges. But, you know, neither I, nor any of the lawyers or judges I know, ever had to come up with a quarter of a million dollars to get my wife out of jail. Hmmmmm...go figure.

Because we are smarter than most people who aren't lawyers, and we make a lot more per hour for the time we spend working (kind of goes hand in hand with being smarter than most). Seriously, why would you work making $20 and hour when you could make $200+ per hour. I suggest all who hate lawyers become smarter. Go to college, and then go to law school. Learn evidence, contracts, torts, constitutional law, property law, criminal law and procedure, trust and estate law, labor law, education law, etc. etc. and how to do legal research and writing. Pass the two or three day bar exam and get to work!! You can do it! I did it. Now I can rip off all the people who are not as smart as me. Take their money and not help them keep their property, their kids, their jobs, their liberty. I just take their money, let them lose all they have, and I am so happy that I am smart enough to do that! We love swindling people out of their money and not helping them with the problems they face in their life. In my next life I will become a doctor so I can take money from sick people and just let them be sick or die. I will be sooo happy doing that too, because I will be rich!!

Wrong spot. Add to comments.

I don't know why you people hate them, but I hate them for the same reason I hate televangelists and politicians. Lobbying, bilking, stalling, guilting, bullying, arguing, defending bullshi* behavior, and ultimately draining society. I don't know what evil is the most base but surely greed leads to more evil than the rest.

Lawyers can only use the laws at hand to prosecute or defend,divorce etc. its the spin and to give their client that innocent lamb look when the opposing lawyer attempts to give juors or judge lamb filey.

Personally speaking, I despise lawyers because they demonstrate how hypocritical the American justice system is.

Lawyers don't seek truth.

Guess what people - I have lived 34 years and have NEVER had to use a lawyer. Why? Because I don't do stupid things like screw people out of money, marry a jerk and have to get a divorce, have kids with some idiot or cheater and have to pay or have child support owed to me, declare bankruptcy because I'm a deadbeat, or commit a crime, etc., etc. You all hate lawyers because you are stupid enough to need them and then want to blame them for your stupidity and problems and the fact that they can't magically un-do your dumb mistakes. That is spineless. Live your life like a decent human being and you will likely have no need of lawyers anyway.

I have a friend. He is among one of the finest people I have ever met. This friend was a lawyer. He is not a lawyer now. He builds fences. He hates lawyers. I think there are some good lawyers. They are hard to come by. There is a window I suppose, that good people, who make good lawyers, figure out that they are in a corrupt system. Some get out. What do you suppose would happen if we had the best looking, and most powerful boat, on the water. Lets just say that the boat did not have water tight integrity. I think of our country as a boat. Our main body is our justice system. As the leaks start. Our boat starts to lose its integrity. Patches will not work for very long. Water leaking in starts degrading the very parts that move, and manuver it. At this point do you think we should overhaul the main body, or just keep it patched. I myself would not want to end up dead in the water becaus of the leaks. What do you think the end result will be. In our country today, we all know the leaks are there. We all know that the mechanical parts have been corrupted by water leaking in. Patches don't work for long. Replacing the mechanical parts arn't going to keep us afloat. Lawyers with slick answers, can't get around this. Good lawyers that don't stand up to get an overhaul, well, I am sorry, we are talking about lawyers.

I don't think they hate lawyers. They may dislike their bills though.

People hate lawyers because there justice is to expensive for the needy, but just right for the greedy. My father lost his whole retirement defending himself against a frivolous lawsuit. Did the lawyers care? No. He went out and bought a new Mercedes. I believe defending the constitution of the united states should be something done out of nobility, not out of abnormal profit. I will stop hating lawyers when I see that they make no more than a teachers salary. A teacher has about eight years plus education (thanks to legal mandates), is bombarded with more examinations than the bar, and only makes a starting salary of about 40 grand a year. If you don't want to be hated try being as noble as a teacher.

Because many these days take your money, sit on your case and let the statue of limitations run leaving you without justice or recompense in damages. You know when THEY don't ever sign the contract that they have you sign and dont give you a copy. "Ooops I never agreed to represent him." It's called "unethical practice" and is very prevalent these days.

Because they are dishonest and partisan and charge you for fucking calling you on the phone.

I once worked for a law firm so I can answer first hand, and although this "doesn't" apply to all attorneys..a great deal of them take your money and then lie to your face or have their secretary lie to you (as in my case). I resigned because of the deception!

That's a good question. I have had to use lawyers only a couple of times in my life but here is my take. It isn't that most people hate lawyers per se, but they hate the legal process. I know I do. You hire an attorney and shell out an astronomical amount of money, but normally it takes months to get your case heard. There are times you will go months without hearing a single thing about your case. While the legal process may be "at work" people are human. The person who hired a lawyer has to live with what they were accused of or what they are accusing someone else of everyday. The attorney is going to get paid anyway. Attorneys need to remember that when someone hires them, they are the attorney's boss.

I hate lawyers because they can't do anything fast. Why not call the other attorney discuss the argument on both sides and see if there can be some mediation early on, instead of dragging it out forever. One of my friends was involved in a lawsuit that lasted well over a year and spent over ten thousand dollars in legal fees (though the attorney didn't exactly do much) Finally the suggestion was made for mediation and come to find out both sides only disagreed on a couple of issues and a compromise was made. This thing went on for like sixteen months, yet a resolution was found in about thirty minutes.

There are a lot of people who hate lawyers when they are defending criminals who are clearly in the wrong. People who hate lawyers for this reason are uneducated and ignorant. No, I'm not a lawyer and neither is my mother, so this isn't a self-righteous rant. Everyone deserves the right to an attorney. How many people have been falsley accused? How many people have gone to jail when they were indeed innocent? I think it makes a lawyer courageous and patient to take on a case that seems like the person is obviously guilty. It's easy to act like a world-saving hero and only take the cases of the 'victims.' It's also easy to hate lawyers, complain about them but call on one later in life when you find yourself in a bit of a rut, eh?

They are Hustlers and the only ones who finish up winning. Can't lose. How to interpret what a lawyer says: Lawyer: "Yes, I'm sure we can bring this to a satisfactory conclusion." Translation: "The most you can get fined is $200.00, but I'll get $2000.00 Out of you. Sucker." Researchers are using Lawyers for laboratory experiments. There are some things that even rats won't do. They (lawyers) are lower than shark shit. Rats have some ethics and self respect What's the difference between a Lawyer and a Hooker? The Hooker will stop screwing you when you're dead.

Because like any other profession the few No Good ones who cheat-lie etc make it bad for all the honest ones ... +5

It all comes down to our adversarial legal system. Think of it this way: let’s say we want to split a pile of M&Ms. To be fair, you tell me how many you want, and I’ll tell you how many I want, and we’ll divide them proportionately. Well, you’re going to say "Infinity" if you’re smart. Otherwise, I will, and I’ll get all of the M&Ms. Even if you really only want half of them, you’ll get zero unless you also say "infinity". That is, essentially, what a lawyer does. They represent you. To represent you best, they have to start with the position that everything not nailed down belongs to them. And you’d better have your name on those nails. The same thing applies in criminal trials. It’s not the defense attorney’s job to find the "right" punishment for you. It’s his or her job to get you the minimum possible sentence, because it’s the prosecutor’s job to give you the maximum possible sentence. If your defense attorney isn't going to seek the minimum sentence, you'll just find one who will. Kelly Robbennolt

They're heartless leeches, preying on people's misfortunes, as opportunities to charge obscene fees for something one ought to be able to do himself.

They can twist the truth.