Lawyers hold a peculiar place in American culture. We hate to love them. We love to hate them. Consequently, lawyer jokes abound. Here's a typical one: Undaunted by sound advice to the contrary, three young lawyers decide to go out on an outing with a leaky sailboat. Much to their collective surprise, a strong wind comes up and capsizes their boat, flinging them into the sea. Almost immediately they are surrounded by man-eating sharks, who warily eye the frightened attorneys, thrash about, sniff the air and then, abruptly, swim away, leaving the lawyers exhausted but relieved. Why did the...