{"id":120171,"date":"2025-05-23T14:39:32","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T22:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/05\/23\/have-you-heard-the-one-about\/"},"modified":"2025-05-23T14:39:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T22:39:32","slug":"have-you-heard-the-one-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/05\/23\/have-you-heard-the-one-about\/","title":{"rendered":"Have You Heard The One About \u2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
(Photo by DON EMMERT\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Am I the only one losing their sense of humor? It\u2019s the only thing that keeps me going in tough times. Right now, times are tough in so many ways, not just in our profession. Now I am looking for anything that creates a smile, a chuckle, let alone a laugh. It\u2019s hard to watch the dismantling of various institutions. Being a heckled standup comedian is easier than being an unhappy lawyer golden handcuffed to one of the Biglaw firms that has caved to 47, but who is unable to move.<\/p>\n

My favorite laugh (so to speak)\u00a0right now is 47 raging against Bruce Springsteen as \u2026 wait for it \u2026 \u201da traitor.\u201d 47\u2019s words, not mine. And what did Bruce say that irked 47? He called 47 \u201ctreasonous.\u201d The spat has escalated<\/a>. I would bet that Bruce is not the only one<\/a> who has said that. It would indeed be laughable if it was not so chilling and so reminiscent of so many regimes that stifle free speech and would prefer no speech. Reminiscent of the 1930s? And where is Chris Christie, one of Bruce\u2019s biggest fans? How do we laugh off the unlaughable, the myriad of executive actions and other unconstitutional actions that this administration engages in regularly?<\/p>\n

So, taking a breather from the daily doses of drama and trauma that constitute life these days, here are several lawyer snafus (schadenfreude \u2014 also known as \u201cwhew, glad it\u2019s not me\u201d \u2014 is alive and well).\u00a0 \u201cWhat were they thinking?\u201d Or perhaps I should rephrase it to \u201cwere they thinking?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s one attorney who hasn\u2019t learned much, if anything. Remember the saying that a good offense is the best defense? It seems to be in this lawsuit filed by a New York disbarred lawyer. Rahul Dev Manchanda obviously believes this saying. He is suing the Attorney Grievance Committee for New York\u2019s First Judicial Department in the Southern District of New York using some of the same language that got him disbarred in the first place. What is he thinking?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Admitted to the New York bar in 2002 (not a newbie), his lawsuit contains some of the same racist and antisemitic language that caused him to lose his license in the first place. He\u2019s suing for $20 million<\/a>, representing the amount of money he claims that he would have made as a lawyer for the next 20 years. (At least he can do math.) <\/p>\n

I won\u2019t go into the litany of disgraceful remarks he made (and that would be over my word limit) except to quote one comment he made because, well, you\u2019ll get it after you read it:<\/p>\n

Manchanda described the ethics referee as a \u201cbiased, broken, morally, physically and mentally unstable old woman.\u201d Anyone you know? The disbarment order said that words failed to capture \u201cthe severity and extent of his bigotry\u201d and that his conduct was \u201csimply shocking and outrageous.\u201d Has he ever heard of the Streisand effect<\/a> before filing the lawsuit? I guess not. The SDNY court\u00a0 has dismissed his case<\/a>. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

And how can I resist a story about lawyers for Mike Lindell, the My Pillow CEO? A federal judge has benchslapped his lawyers with an order to show cause after they erroneously\u00a0filed a draft of a document and didn\u2019t realize that it was a draft until almost two months later when they appeared before the court. Not only was it a draft, but it had 30 incorrect case citations including citations to nonexistent cases<\/a>. Hallucinations for a pillow CEO. How appropriate. This FUBAR arose out of a defamation lawsuit filed by a former executive with Dominion Voting Systems against Lindell and his related companies. (Remember the Dominion litigation, which cost Fox almost a billion dollars to settle? Raise your hand if you do. Would somebody please drive a stake through the heart of all the remaining 2020 election dramas. Haven\u2019t we had enough? It\u2019s now 2025, unless Mr. Peabody\u2019s Wayback machine remains stuck at five years ago. By the way, Lindell\u2019s attorney also copped to a Rule 11 violation.<\/p>\n

I loved the piece in the New York Times about ATL<\/a> and not merely because I write for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unlike 47\u2019s merry band of men and women, I have no expectations of anything in return for saying nice things about my editors. I am happy if they don\u2019t spike my copy. <\/p>\n

Recognition for the work ATL has done and continues to do is long overdue. Now more than ever, it speaks truth to power. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable, a line attributed to Peter Finley Dunne (Google him), characterizing journalism\u2019s role. Congratulations to all, but your work has just begun. There\u2019s a whole lot more comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable ahead.<\/p>\n

\n

Jill Switzer has been an active member of the State Bar of California for over 40 years. She remembers practicing law in a kinder, gentler time. She\u2019s had a diverse legal career, including stints as a deputy district attorney, a solo practice, and several senior in-house gigs. She now mediates full-time, which gives her the opportunity to see dinosaurs, millennials, and those in-between interact \u2014 it\u2019s not always civil. You can reach her by email at <\/strong><\/em>oldladylawyer@gmail.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The post Have You Heard The One About \u2026?<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
(Photo by DON EMMERT\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Am I the only one losing their sense of humor? It\u2019s the only thing that keeps me going in tough times. Right now, times are tough in so many ways, not just in our profession. Now I am looking for anything that creates a smile, a chuckle, let alone a laugh. It\u2019s hard to watch the dismantling of various institutions. Being a heckled standup comedian is easier than being an unhappy lawyer golden handcuffed to one of the Biglaw firms that has caved to 47, but who is unable to move.<\/p>\n

My favorite laugh (so to speak)\u00a0right now is 47 raging against Bruce Springsteen as \u2026 wait for it \u2026 \u201da traitor.\u201d 47\u2019s words, not mine. And what did Bruce say that irked 47? He called 47 \u201ctreasonous.\u201d The spat has escalated<\/a>. I would bet that Bruce is not the only one<\/a> who has said that. It would indeed be laughable if it was not so chilling and so reminiscent of so many regimes that stifle free speech and would prefer no speech. Reminiscent of the 1930s? And where is Chris Christie, one of Bruce\u2019s biggest fans? How do we laugh off the unlaughable, the myriad of executive actions and other unconstitutional actions that this administration engages in regularly?<\/p>\n

So, taking a breather from the daily doses of drama and trauma that constitute life these days, here are several lawyer snafus (schadenfreude \u2014 also known as \u201cwhew, glad it\u2019s not me\u201d \u2014 is alive and well).\u00a0 \u201cWhat were they thinking?\u201d Or perhaps I should rephrase it to \u201cwere they thinking?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s one attorney who hasn\u2019t learned much, if anything. Remember the saying that a good offense is the best defense? It seems to be in this lawsuit filed by a New York disbarred lawyer. Rahul Dev Manchanda obviously believes this saying. He is suing the Attorney Grievance Committee for New York\u2019s First Judicial Department in the Southern District of New York using some of the same language that got him disbarred in the first place. What is he thinking?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Admitted to the New York bar in 2002 (not a newbie), his lawsuit contains some of the same racist and antisemitic language that caused him to lose his license in the first place. He\u2019s suing for $20 million<\/a>, representing the amount of money he claims that he would have made as a lawyer for the next 20 years. (At least he can do math.) <\/p>\n

I won\u2019t go into the litany of disgraceful remarks he made (and that would be over my word limit) except to quote one comment he made because, well, you\u2019ll get it after you read it:<\/p>\n

Manchanda described the ethics referee as a \u201cbiased, broken, morally, physically and mentally unstable old woman.\u201d Anyone you know? The disbarment order said that words failed to capture \u201cthe severity and extent of his bigotry\u201d and that his conduct was \u201csimply shocking and outrageous.\u201d Has he ever heard of the Streisand effect<\/a> before filing the lawsuit? I guess not. The SDNY court\u00a0 has dismissed his case<\/a>. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

And how can I resist a story about lawyers for Mike Lindell, the My Pillow CEO? A federal judge has benchslapped his lawyers with an order to show cause after they erroneously\u00a0filed a draft of a document and didn\u2019t realize that it was a draft until almost two months later when they appeared before the court. Not only was it a draft, but it had 30 incorrect case citations including citations to nonexistent cases<\/a>. Hallucinations for a pillow CEO. How appropriate. This FUBAR arose out of a defamation lawsuit filed by a former executive with Dominion Voting Systems against Lindell and his related companies. (Remember the Dominion litigation, which cost Fox almost a billion dollars to settle? Raise your hand if you do. Would somebody please drive a stake through the heart of all the remaining 2020 election dramas. Haven\u2019t we had enough? It\u2019s now 2025, unless Mr. Peabody\u2019s Wayback machine remains stuck at five years ago. By the way, Lindell\u2019s attorney also copped to a Rule 11 violation.<\/p>\n

I loved the piece in the New York Times about ATL<\/a> and not merely because I write for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unlike 47\u2019s merry band of men and women, I have no expectations of anything in return for saying nice things about my editors. I am happy if they don\u2019t spike my copy. <\/p>\n

Recognition for the work ATL has done and continues to do is long overdue. Now more than ever, it speaks truth to power. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable, a line attributed to Peter Finley Dunne (Google him), characterizing journalism\u2019s role. Congratulations to all, but your work has just begun. There\u2019s a whole lot more comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable ahead.<\/p>\n

\n

Jill Switzer has been an active member of the State Bar of California for over 40 years. She remembers practicing law in a kinder, gentler time. She\u2019s had a diverse legal career, including stints as a deputy district attorney, a solo practice, and several senior in-house gigs. She now mediates full-time, which gives her the opportunity to see dinosaurs, millennials, and those in-between interact \u2014 it\u2019s not always civil. You can reach her by email at <\/strong><\/em>oldladylawyer@gmail.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The post Have You Heard The One About \u2026?<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Photo by DON EMMERT\/AFP via Getty Images) Am I the only one losing their sense of humor? It\u2019s the only thing that keeps me going in tough times. Right now, times are tough in so many ways, not just in our profession. Now I am looking for anything that creates a smile, a chuckle, let […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":120172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/trump-yelling-GettyImages-624424334-o23wFw.jpeg?fit=1024%2C697&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}