We’ve all heard them. Some of them are truly funny. Almost everyone loves a good lawyer joke. But when you need a lawyer, you want a lawyer who will do their best for you, not a lawyer who is a punchline.

Today is Love Your Lawyer Day. Started in November, 2001, Love Your Lawyer Day is designed to remind us, even lawyers, that lawyers do a lot of good things, beyond being the punch line of a joke.

This year, the American Bar Association passed a resolution officially encouraging the day. The resolution focuses on the good work that lawyers do for their clients, and for the public at large, each day.

Here are three types of good works that lawyers perform.

Pro Bono Work

“Pro bono” is short for the Latin term “pro bono publico,” which means “for the good of the public.” Lawyers sometimes take on a client’s case for free. Why? Usually, it’s because the client is in dire need and can’t afford to pay the lawyer to help. Othertimes, lawyers provide pro bono services to charitable, religious, and educational organizations. According to an ABA report, 73 percent of the 1,100 attorneys surveyed reported that they provide pro bono services.

Other Good Work

In addition to pro bono work, lawyers across the US volunteer their time or charge discounted rates in all sorts of community projects such as:

Fundraising events for community or civic projects;
Working on school boards;
Teaching students about how the law affects their everyday lives;
Arguing for changes in existing laws, or for new laws, to fix a societal problem;

At Kennedy, Kennedy, Robbins & Yarbro, LC, we understand the values of hard work, family, mutual responsibility and community commitment form the foundation of a successful law firm. We strongly believe in giving back to our community through individual service to our respective churches, civic organizations, charitable groups and other organizations.

The Day-to-Day Work

Lawyers who give the legal profession a bad reputation are the exception, not the rule. Most lawyers take their clients legal matters very seriously and make every effort to represent them fairly and to the best of their abilities. This is reflected in surveys that show people love “their” lawyer but don’t like the profession in general.

Contact us today or call us at (573)686-2459 if you need a lawyer. We offer a free case evaluation for personal injury and auto accident cases.

We’re not asking you to come give us a big hug today. Instead, don’t be so quick to think a lawyer joke is true about all lawyers. The jokes are funny, that’s why even we laugh at them. Just remember the jokes aren’t universal truths.

By the way, why didn’t the shark eat the lawyer? Professional courtesy!