“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” — William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2
Mocking and rueful, most people believe that Dick the Butcher’s famous line in Shakespeare’s Henry VI expresses the average person’s frustration with the complexity and mysteries of law and that we would all be better off without lawyers. However, the suggestion was not meant to bring back sanity in a world of chaos. Rather, it was about how to create tyranny and chaos by killing off those who guarded people’s independence — thus highlighting the important role that lawyers play in society.
A Society Without Lawyers: Calm or Chaos?
Q: What do you call a busload of lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A: A good start!
If we throw away the rules of a civilized society, then all we’re left with is oppression, tyranny, plunder and brutality. “Take everything by force” and “kill or be killed” are probably not rules by which you’d like to live, so let’s imagine we have a world with rules but without lawyers.
Consumer Protection
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, lawyers help to protect us from harm by exposing dangerous situations and products such as:
- Vehicle rollovers (Ford and Firestone tires)
- Children’s deaths from paint (lead-based)
- Cancer-causing insulation and homes (asbestos)
- Gas tanks that explode on impact (Pinto and Ford trucks)
- Drugs that cause birth defects in unborn babies (thalidomide)
Industries and businesses have their faults just like any others, and too often, they focus on profits over people, which can lead to injury and death. Without lawyers in the world to stand up against those who harm ourselves and our loved ones, the world would be undoubtedly more dangerous.
Criminal Justice
Although there are plenty of rules to protect the innocent, those rules are routinely broken every day. These rules include your right to a fair trial, your rights to privacy in your own home, your rights against unreasonable search and seizure, and the list goes on. Without lawyers in the world to champion your rights, we would live in a police state where you’d likely find you have no more rights.
Before lawyers, people would settle their differences on the streets. Without lawyers in today’s society, there would be no consequences for hurting or killing another human being. Sure, there would be a police force, but perpetrators wouldn’t be held accountable for their actions in a court of law.
A World With Lawyers is Better Than a World Without Lawyers
No one is asking you to love lawyers or even like them. Instead, just imagine what our world would look like if there was no one on your side to champion your rights and freedom in a civilized society. So, when your neighborhood playground loses its “good slide” to a toddler injury or you roll your eyes each time you read “Caution: I’m hot!” on your McDonald’s coffee, remember that lawyers serve a purpose. Ultimately, the one thing scarier than a bus full of lawyers is a bus without them.
An experienced California family law attorney at the Law Offices of Silky Sahnan today can give you the insight you need to get the outcome you deserve. Call 888-228-1098 for a confidential consultation.
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