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SF & Lawyers

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SF & Lawyers
Post by Arol   » Wed Jun 18, 2014 9:17 am

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In one of Jack Campbell’s novels there is a scene where the subject of “lawyers” arise amongst a group of people:
“…if the aliens have human lawyers imprisoned, I would suggest we leave them….we have too many of them as is.”
“…they’ll do plenty of damage to the Aliens. Better there then here.”
“…there are fates too horrible for even lawyers…. “Sorry, my brother is a lawyer,” he explained.
“You have our sympathies”…
Or another SF novel where a group of people off Earth are discussing their more infamous ancestors, there are pirates, criminals of all sorts amongst them, but the one who took the prize was the one whose ancestor was a lawyer.
A California divorce lawyer at that!
Even Heinlein had world where they’d taken Shakespeare’s “Lets kill all the lawyers!” seriously”, and still talked of “The Night All the Lawyers Disappeared!
Is the antipathy against lawyers greater in SF, then in society as a whole?
In reading SF for more then 50´years I don’t recall even having seen a lawyer as the prime protagonist.
That would be one sure fire anti-hero!
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by Daryl   » Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:38 pm

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Jurassic Park did it best, but then they did have TRexs available.
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by Lord Skimper   » Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:20 pm

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Have we seen any Lawyers in the Honorverse?

Are you sure there were no Lawyers in Out of the Dark?
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by viciokie   » Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:27 pm

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even though lawyers are detestable they do have a purpose in life. Now if you want to include politicians who scream for war bur have never served or refuse to serve then i am all for making them one time mine detectors. (their time is over when they step on the mine).
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by Arol   » Thu Jun 19, 2014 7:45 am

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Lord Skimper wrote: Are you sure there were no Lawyers in Out of the Dark?

None that I can recall, lots of bloodsucking Vampires though… I guess that they might be thought of as one of the same! :lol:
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by Dieu_Le_Fera   » Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:52 pm

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Arol wrote:In one of Jack Campbell’s novels there is a scene where the subject of “lawyers” arise amongst a group of people:
“…if the aliens have human lawyers imprisoned, I would suggest we leave them….we have too many of them as is.”
“…they’ll do plenty of damage to the Aliens. Better there then here.”
“…there are fates too horrible for even lawyers…. “Sorry, my brother is a lawyer,” he explained.
“You have our sympathies”…
Or another SF novel where a group of people off Earth are discussing their more infamous ancestors, there are pirates, criminals of all sorts amongst them, but the one who took the prize was the one whose ancestor was a lawyer.
A California divorce lawyer at that!
Even Heinlein had world where they’d taken Shakespeare’s “Lets kill all the lawyers!” seriously”, and still talked of “The Night All the Lawyers Disappeared!
Is the antipathy against lawyers greater in SF, then in society as a whole?
In reading SF for more then 50´years I don’t recall even having seen a lawyer as the prime protagonist.
That would be one sure fire anti-hero!


Seems you have been reading the Lost Fleet series :)
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by Lord Skimper   » Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:05 pm

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The various Stargate franchises had Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo) in the stories he was an ex Lawyer. Even acted as a lawyer in an Atlantis episode.
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by Senior Chief   » Fri Jun 20, 2014 12:54 am

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Lord Skimper wrote:Have we seen any Lawyers in the Honorverse?

Are you sure there were no Lawyers in Out of the Dark?



Honor has a lawyer working for her setting up her Duchy as well as other legal matters.
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by Hutch   » Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:04 am

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Senior Chief wrote:
Lord Skimper wrote:Have we seen any Lawyers in the Honorverse?

Are you sure there were no Lawyers in Out of the Dark?



Honor has a lawyer working for her setting up her Duchy as well as other legal matters.


Yep, Robert(?) Maxwell. Who also has a background not a lot of lawyers share (from Ashes of Victory):

"I thought you'd feel that way. But I was interested to discover that you and I share something in common, and I was rather impressed when I read your citation. It isn't every Marine second lieutenant who wins the Manticore Cross for bravery under fire. And not many lawyers have that on their résumés, either, I imagine."


We also see the the Hauptman's have what amounts to be a full law firm representing their interests (and at times Honor's), and we do meet a JAG Officer during Storm from the Shadows (when deciding what Mike can do under her parole).

So while not in every book, RFC does not ignore the legal profession-it's still with us two millenia into the future (albeit I seem to remember that there are fewer of them on Grayson....)

As for other series, I can't remember any off the top of my head except for the Web Comic Schlock Mercenary, where the mercenaries have their own lawyer (Massey Reynstein, Esq.) and also have a bounty on Lawyer Clones (who are shown in the comic as snakes).
Last edited by Hutch on Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SF & Lawyers
Post by umbrarchist   » Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:36 pm

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In Homeward Bound Harry Turtledove has a human exchanging lawyer jokes with an alien.
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