The way things have gone lately, I thought it was time to
reprise this blog post, originally published in April of 2014. It
is unfortunate for the system and the litigants to have to endure
the misrepresentations by people who should know better.
I like a good joke as much as the next person. That said, like
many in my profession, I get sensitive about lawyer jokes. Often,
they are just cheap shots that in no way reflect the reality of
what most of us do. I particularly despise this one, "How can
you tell when a lawyer is lying? His lips are moving."
This one is particularly offensive on many levels. Justice
cannot tolerate dishonesty on the part of the lawyer. In fact,
honesty permeates the Rules of Professional Conduct: meritorious
claims and contentions; duty of candor to the tribunal; fairness to
the opposing party and counsel; truthfulness in statements to
others; not engaging in conduct that involving fraud, deceit,
dishonesty, mispresentation or that which is
