Love Your Lawyer Day is observed on the first Friday of November, making Love Your Lawyer Day fall on November 1st this year. This is when we honor lawyers in the U.S. and encourage them to keep going, despite the often negative reputation Lawyers have.
Even Shakespeare had nasty things to say about lawyers which is despite many lawyers doing a wonderful job in tough circumstances, and with an ever-changing work environment. Law and the legal system has been around almost since the beginning of mankind in various forms, and despite those who abuse it, it is still a beacon of hope for those inclined towards justice.
Did you know the earliest people who could be described as “lawyers” were probably the Orators of ancient Athens. The most noted historical first text of law is credited to the Babylonian King Hammurabi of Mesopotamia, dating back to the 18th Century B.C.
Consisting of 282 laws, the Hammurabi Code described a variety of everyday situations, from punishments to be meted out to criminal offenders to the wages to be paid for services rendered to one another.
Initially, lawyers were not allowed to charge any fees, which made earning a living from the law tough. The Roman system allowed for charging fees to change this. Today, modern codes of law are far more involved and convoluted than historical ones, covering every aspect of living within human society.
The lawyer’s job is to help with the understanding of the law and how it affects the rights of the common person, as well as the government. Across many societies, lawyers are perceived as crooked, untruthful, and sly. This isn’t true for every lawyer.
There are many lawyers who set out on that career path solely to do good when it is within their power, and who are doing just that. Part of the reason that lawyers have a bad reputation, is that their work most often involves settling issues of conflict and dispute.
In 2001, the National Director of the American Lawyers Public Image Association, Nader Anise, a legal marketer, established Love Your Lawyer Day to appreciate lawyers and all they do. Love Your Lawyer Day aims to promote public support for lawyers and judges by presenting them in a more positive light.
How To Celebrate Love Your Lawyer Day
- Lawyers generally have very stressful jobs and deal with strife all day. Organize a sports and Barbecue afternoon with a local law firm and get your friends in on the action.
- Organize a movie night where you and your friends watch one of the many excellent lawyer movies around. If movies aren’t your thing, read a good book and discuss it with your friends.
- In order to build up the reputation of lawyers, we need to stop being negative about Lawyers. This could start with leaving off the lawyer jokes and treating any lawyer friends with respect. It will definitely be appreciated.
Facts About The Legal Profession
- Did you know there are over 15 different types of lawyers in the U.S. including Civil, Criminal, Business, and Family Law.
- Law is one of the oldest professions in human history.
- There are more than 1.3 million lawyers practicing in various jurisdictions across the United States.
- There are a surprising number of celebrities who attended law school, amongst others Gerard Butler, Jerry Springer, Julio Iglesias, John Cleese, Ben Stein, and Ozzie Nelson.
- There are more than 100 million lawyers across the world; including fresh graduates and paralegals.
Why Love Your Lawyer Day is Celebrated
For a profession perceived to be filled with liars, Love Your Lawyer Day helps correct the wrong assumptions about Lawyers. Many Lawyers do a lot of good, and more people get to realize that.
Love Your Lawyer Day gives us insight into the law profession and it helps us understand legal matters and maybe learn some legal jargon, during interactions with the lawyers.
We get to value and appreciate lawyers for all the good work they do, Love Your Lawyer Day which will furthermore encourage lawyers to keep doing good things through their profession.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
