I have been invited by a lawyer to start this thread and it strikes me as an interesting topic. Lawyers are often the target of jokes and disapprobation. The stereotype is that they are greedy, dishonest, and only interested in charging large fees. Of course this is not true of most of them, but it does seem to be the public perception. So how do we feel about lawyers as a group? What experiences have we had? Modern society cannot function without them and people in legal trouble are quick to turn to them for advice. So are lawyers a good thing? Have they served you well or poorly?

My own dealings with lawyers have been limited. Years ago I was sued, my legal firm considered my case low priority and assigned me an inexperienced junior, I ended up doing the research and writing the briefs, and I won my case. The firm billed me as much as I would have had to pay if I had lost, but it was a matter of principle to me so I was not entirely dissatisfied. Even though my lawyer was of limited usefulness, I still needed him for the formal court processes.

Years later, I was asked to accompany a friend to a meeting with her lawyer, whom she felt intimidated by. He was supposed to be acting for her in a civil dispute, but all he did was write a letter and say there was nothing more he could do when the letter did not receive a reply. He seemed mainly concerned with his fee.

My other experience was with our family lawyer, a pillar of our community. He drew up my will for me. No complaints there, but last year he was struck off for helping himself to some funds he was responsible for (not ours), and since then has been the subject of a criminal complaint.

Those are my experiences with lawyers. What are yours?