Why lawyers are necessary.

So the other day I heard a guy say that he thinks lawyers are a drain on society’s resources. That they add nothing intrinsically to society. This guy is studying to be a doctor, and at the time I didn’t have time to question him, and in any case I’m sure I would have come across as a prick lawyer using my ‘slick’ reasoning, but let’s pretend I did. I think it would go something like this...

Me: And what do you do?
Him: I’m a doctor – I help people get better and junk.
Me: Why can’t people do that for themselves?
Him: Because it’s super complicated stuff – I’ve studied for years and don’t know it all. Plus, if people were to self-diagnose and medicate, it could be really dangerous.
Me: So it’s really complicated, and if someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing tried ‘doctor’ up someone, it could really mess them up?
Him: That’s right – and I’m giving to society, and I’m making the world a better place by helping people that truly need help.
Me: Well, you know that’s what lawyers do too, right? The law is complicated, not necessarily intuitive, and people can really screw themselves up if they try to do it themselves. In many cases, people choose to hire lawyers because they want expertise in dealing with legal issues so they don’t get hosed later, or they choose to hire them because they need help resolving complicated or critical issues. Since I’m also an Engineer I understand what you’re saying about building or giving back to society. But society is simply people interacting within the scope of laws, so in effect lawyers are key to any civilization.

Anyway, if you couldn’t tell, I think this guy was dumb. There some trashy lawyers out there, but we live in a society where everyone is guaranteed the right to legal help because the law is complicated. What a Moron.