Lawyer joke

Lawyer jokes, which pre-date Shakespeare's era, are commonly told by those outside the profession as an expression of contempt, scorn and derision.

Often told is the anecdote where a wealthy lawyer, solicited for a charitable donation, replies "Do you realise my mother is dying of a long-term illness and has medical bills several times her income?

"[10]Other anecdotes are based on logical fallacy, such as a lawyer defending a client on trial for killing his parents: "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I appeal to your basic decency to take mercy on this poor, defenceless orphan!

The 2012 Three Stooges film uses this example, among similar ones such as proctologists "Proba, Keister, and Wince", divorce lawyers "Ditcher, Quick, and Hyde", and attorneys at law "Kickham, Harter, and Indagroyne".

Catherine O'Hara used the phrase in the premiere 1986 edition of HBO's telethon "Comic Relief",[22] and Soupy Sales claimed that it was the name of his law firm in 1972.

[19] Tom and Ray Magliozzi, of NPR's Car Talk radio program, named their business corporation "Dewey, Cheetham & Howe".

[24][25] In 2001, a banker in Texas, who had experience coming up with gag names for staff training, reported a cashier's check to the FBI when he noticed it was payable to "Howe" or "Howie Dewey Cheatham", leading to the client's conviction for money laundering and fraud.