Letters to Inspiring Writers: The Snark is My Favorite Legal Writer

August 20, 2008

By revisingproust

Hi, how are you doing today? I know you only have six (6) minutes to read this letter so i will try to be short.

Your column cracks me up. Though i am not a cog myself in the BigLaw machine, I am in the business of “trading cogs.” In short, when I decided that I’d heard my share of lawyer jokes, I thought I’d transition to an even easier profession to make fun of…

…yes, that’s right, I’m a legal recruiter! (Hey, before you press “delete” remember – not only do i provide recruiting services, I’m also someone who angst-ridden associates can take out their aggression on through the best means they know how – over the phone or e-mail).

but, back to what i was saying….(4 minutes left?)

As a (recovering) esquire, I am diligent. I make sure to keep up to date on all the pertinent legal market news. How would I sound asking someone to move to Thelen after the layoffs or Covington circa 2007. Ha! To keep me in the know, instead of case law or statutes, I read the AmLaw, Law.com, NYLawyer, Chambers, Bloomberg Law Reports, Carolyn Elefant, & AboveTheLaw. Nevertheless, in this period of information overload, when all is said and done, I find myself asking “what is the Snark writing about this week?”

Your column gives me insight into the cynicism that I hear all day on the phone. While I’m sure there are countless people who compare you to _anonymous lawyer_, you’re not too over-the-top which makes you even funnier in my opinion.

Anyway, this e-mail is part of a series that I am writing for nonpretentious.com under my own ~~secret~~ identity of “revisingproust.” I am reaching out to modern day writers who inspire me and asking them one question in hopes of receiving a response. This e-mail will be posted. If i get a response, that will be posted too. (Since we’re all lawyers here, I figured that I had to include a disclaimer…).

My question for you: If you could teach a class on humor for lawyers, what materials would you use (e.g. books, movies, certain comedians, etc.)? You can include first and secondary sources so long as you correctly Bluebook cite each.

your fan,

revisingproust

the Snark’s recent column can be found here.