Do we lawyers have a “special” sense of humor? Attorneys are in that group of professionals that get to see all facets of the human condition by way of their work. And the human condition can be fucking hilarious. I often, during any given workday, say to myself “You can’t make this shit up.” If you ask any attorney, I firmly feel that they would fervently agree.

            The comedy of our jobs often comes from the inherent experiences that people are exposed to in the actual practice of law. What do I mean? Go and sit in any District Court in North Carolina and you will absolutely see what I mean. Or go behind the scenes and dip behind courtrooms where attorneys line up to talk to prosecutors or in chambers where Judges address counsel outside the presence of their clients (and most importantly outside the presence of the record) The life experiences that one gets exposed to as an attorney are of a breadth that continually holds me in awe. I always remain in awe not only of what people do, but what is actually DONE to a lot of the people with which I come in contact. I feel like all attorneys have those stories that come from their practices.

            But aren’t we supposed to be the soulless legal proverbial thorns in everyone’s side? Aren’t we supposed to be completely humorless? Some attorneys (who I think need some significant mental health help) literally take on the persona of their client making it next to impossible for them to see the light in anything that they are doing. Everything is hard core and serious. What are you laughing at? No laughing! This is a serious matter! I think this expectation of us keeps a lot of us from seeing the humor in our profession (and on our way to the nut house…soooo not politically correct to say…but true).

            Isn’t the saying that laughter is good for the soul? Well, I have a Juris Doctorate and a license, so I think that qualifies me to prescribe laughter to my sister and brother attorneys as one of the antidotes to the stresses of our profession. This prescription is especially needed for those of us that specialize in certain areas of civil practice. When I was a prosecutor, I strolled into court one morning to find a local attorney sitting in the jury box just waiting for criminal court to start. I asked him why he was so early, and he said he had just come from appearing in civil court, which was not so civil. He remarked that there was a lot more levity (and civility for that matter) to be found in criminal court as opposed to civil court. I have come to find the same thing. For some reason, I have had more experience with other attorneys building bonds through laughter when I practiced criminal law as opposed to civil practice.