[oldalum]

Why can't lawyers just say what they mean in plain language?  We wouldn't need so many lawyers.  Oh....answered my own question.  :P

When I took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (legal ethics, required for entry into the bar), someone told me a foolproof method for determining the correct answer to almost every question, a method that did not require knowing anything about legal ethics: the correct answer is the one that maximizes the income of the legal professional as a whole. And it worked!

(example: Is it ethical to contact your opposing counsel's client directly? No, you must send all communications through opposing counsel--which, btw, maximizes the net income of the legal profession as a whole.) 

[oldalum]

Why can't lawyers just say what they mean in plain language?  We wouldn't need so many lawyers.  Oh....answered my own question.  :P

When I took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (legal ethics, required for entry into the bar), someone told me a foolproof method for determining the correct answer to almost every question, a method that did not require knowing anything about legal ethics: the correct answer is the one that maximizes the income of the legal professional as a whole. And it worked!

(example: Is it ethical to contact your opposing counsel's client directly? No, you must send all communications through opposing counsel--which, btw, maximizes the net income of the legal profession as a whole.)