Tell a Lawyer Joke...Go to Jail (Maybe).

What's the price for telling an unfunny lawyer joke? Apparently, it's a misdemeanor, according to an Associated Press piece in the Los Angeles Times today. ("How Can You Tell if a Lawyer Is Angry?", Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2005, p. A25.) In a line leading into a New York court, a lawyer overheard the following shopworn joke, "How do you tell when a lawyer is lying? His lips are moving". This prompted a lawyer in line to shout, "Shut up. I'm a lawyer". In addition, the lawyer reported the two involved to court personnel. The authorities then arrested the men and charged them with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. "They put handcuffs on us, brought us into a room, frisked us, [and] sat us down....They were very nasty, extremely nasty." The two were given appearance tickets and ordered back to court next month. One hopes they get better material--and keep their day jobs.