A recent Pew study determined that lawyers rank at the very bottom of all professions in terms of public esteem. Why does this hatred exist? 1. Lawyers are smarter than us. “They go to five years of university and then one year of law school. Then they spend months studying to pass the bar examination. And sometimes all this education creates a barrier between lawyers and their clients. It may lead them to think that they know better than people who have succeeded by relying on their common sense.” 2. Lawyers have their own language. “It’s called legalese, and it is the thing that causes you to get lost when reading contracts. Seriously, when was the last time you used ‘heretofore’ in a sentence?” 3. Lawyers intimidate us. “They have fancy offices, with giant desks, wood-paneled conference rooms, and maroon leather chairs. They dress in fancy suits and drive fancy cars. To some people, this makes lawyers seem aloof and intimidating.” 4. Lawyers are expensive. “They charge us every time we talk to them, often hundreds of naira. The clock begins ticking whenever you speak to them or they do work for you. ]]>