The Official Lawyer's Handbook
1983 book by Daniel R. White
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The Official Lawyer's Handbook is a best-selling satire on law and lawyers written by the lawyer Daniel R. White, and originally published in the United States by Simon & Schuster in 1983. The Handbook was adapted and republished in Britain under the name The Queens Counsel Official Lawyers' Handbook, published by the Robson Press, an imprint of Biteback Publishing.
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| Author | Daniel R. White |
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| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| ISBN | 978-0452266940 |
Background
Public distrust of lawyers reached record heights in the United States after the Watergate scandal.[1] In the aftermath of Watergate, legal self-help books became popular among those who wished to solve their legal problems without having to deal with lawyers.[2] Lawyer jokes (already a perennial favorite) also soared in popularity in English-speaking North America as a result of Watergate.[3] In 1989, American legal self-help publisher Nolo Press published a 171-page compilation of negative anecdotes about lawyers from throughout human history.[4]
Content
The Official Lawyer's Handbook described itself as "the ultimate guide to surviving a legal career". Tips included: "The Bar Exam – Thousands of morons have passed – so can you", "Partnership: you can make it, if you know what to kiss, and whose", and "Understanding what lawyers do – and how to stop them doing it to you".
Response
The Official Lawyer's Handbook was a best-seller, ranking #1 on The Washington Post best seller list and #5 on the Publishers Weekly national list. Critical reviews were generally supportive. The Washington Post declared White "the legal profession's court jester"[5] and credited him with having "helped launch the current wave of legal humor."[6] It was described by Time magazine as a book which would "not win an award from the American Bar Association".[7]
Other editions
The Handbook was updated and re-printed in 1991 as Still the Official Lawyer's Handbook,[8] It was also published in revised form in Britain in 1991, by Harriman House publishing, with Philip R. Jenks as co-author.[9] The UK edition was described by The Times as "one of the most irreverent, funny and perceptive books about the legal profession ever published".[10] In 2011, the Handbook was again adapted and republished in Britain under the name The Queens Counsel Official Lawyers' Handbook, by the Robson Press, with Alex Williams[11] as artist and co-author.[12]