Q: What do you have when there is an attorney buried up to his head in sand?
A: Not enough sand.
How many attorney jokes, like this one, have you heard? I suspect many. We have become one of the most despised of all professions. Honestly, in many cases, we have earned it. Attorneys were once one of the most revered of all trades. Think of all the leaders who dramatically changed the landscape of our lives. Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer. Gandhi was a lawyer. Neither fit the stereotypical devil’s advocate. They were very spiritual men. Clarence Darrow, Thurgood Marshall – there are many, many historical examples of attorneys following a purpose and making the world a better place — spiritual leaders effecting real and lasting change through a noble profession.
How, then, have we earned the distinction of one of the world’s most hated professions? Certainly, many of us have veered off purpose. We have come to measure success by our bank accounts, the number of billboards on the interstate and how prestigious our office locations. The world expects of us to be rich in worldly possessions, to drive fancy cars and wear expensive suits. This is too often how the world gauge’s both our ability and our success. As a result, attorneys are especially prone to fall into the trap of trying to fill that void that we all have within us with “stuff” — to fill that void with goods not God. Understand this is a modern trend. Our forefathers were God-centered. They sought to do justice and measured their success by the state of the world they left behind. Is it any coincidence that they were respected and not the object of our jokes?
We, as attorneys, have a great and powerful opportunity to be vessels of great work. History proves this to be true. We have a responsibility to correct injustice. We cannot all perpetuate positive change on a big stage in the way of our forefathers. Nevertheless, we can each facilitate positive change on our stage, in the theater of our lives. Last week we spoke of “first do no harm”. I believe this is a foundation, a minimum standard. Fulfilling our purpose, as a profession, requires much more of us.
“Stop doing evil. Learn to do what is good. Seek justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.” – Isaiah 1:16-17. Who can follow this directive better than a lawyer? When we choose to set aside false idols – money, fame, notoriety, etc – we are no longer advocates for the Devil. We, then, are advocates for good work. Only then do we begin to live inside our purpose.
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