“A lawyer is basically a mouth like a shark is a mouth attached to a long gut. The business of lawyers is to talk, to interrupt one another, and to devour each other, if possible.” ― Joyce Carol Oates.
Sadly, many people see attorneys in light of the above quote. But we would descend into chaos without lawyers.
Some might agree with Shakespeare’s words in Henry VI when Dick the butcher says, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” We need to understand the character’s motives and put this line into context. Dick was a murderer, and he wanted to cause tyranny and chaos. His solution was to remove those that stood in his way — the guardians of justice.
People criticize legal practitioners for many social problems, and some think that the world would be better without them. Clearway Family Lawyers has given us some points to understand a world without attorneys.
Rules Without Consequences
By removing legal practitioners, we will not remove the rules. Criminal, Commercial, or Property law has to remain for a functioning society. If we remove the rules, the world will revert to a barbaric, brutal state.
No Lawyers to Represent You
If there were no attorneys, we would have to represent and defend ourselves in a court of law. We would have to study the legal aspects and present them in our defense, which would mean that the person with the most knowledge would win without justice prevailing.
Important Contributions by Lawyers
Without lawyers, there would be no equality. It’s with their help that ideals have changed society.
Women’s Rights – Legal practitioners assisted with petitions to the Supreme Court, lobbied to Congress, and defended many women who protested for their civil rights. One such champion was Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
Consumer Protection – There are many instances where lawyers have taken on large corporations protecting human rights. Many have benefitted from class-action suits against corporations for asbestos and lead poisoning, vehicle defaults, and dangerous drugs.
The United States Constitution – Seven of the 10 key framers of the constitution were lawyers.
Criminal Justice – The violation of laws made to protect us is a far too common occurrence. Without attorneys, we may evolve into a police state with no human rights.
Equal Rights – We could still be living in a world with laws separating us based on color if it wasn’t for lawyers like Thurgood Marshall.
A World Without Lawyers?
Let’s not put blinders on. There are as many unethical, greedy, and lazy legal practitioners, bringing the profession into disgrace. There are, however, wonderful people who practice law, who guide and fight for your rights, and who go out of their way to see that justice and truth prevail.
Whether you like attorneys or not does not mean you should hate the profession. In the words of Charles Dickens, from his book The Old Curiosity Shop, “It is a pleasant world we live in, sir, a very pleasant world. There are bad people in it, Mr. Richard, but if there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers.”