Law and Disorder

August 1, 2014

In 1926, The New Yorker observed that humor "is rarely the gift of the legal mind." Nine decades later, that is still true. This is the third of San Diego attorney Sevilla's legal humor books, following Disorderly Conduct and Disorder in the Court. "As with the last two," the author writes, "the reader will find the humor sophomoric, scatological, very profane, and overtly sexual." Talk about truth in labeling. But unlike, say, Boston Legal, which was also sophomoric, scatological, etc., this collection isn't really that funny. Most of it is a gallows humor of a sort "you had to be there" to appreciate. There is a law review article whose title asks: "Is Judicial Humor Judicious?" and the judges herein answer that in the negative. The judges come off quite badly--to again quote The New Yorker, "almost universally the joke from the bench is the joke of a bully." VERDICT Those who appreciate this sort of entertainment will be amused, while most will renew their conviction that lawyers are quirky and unusual people. Watch ...And Justice for All or Denny Crane on Boston Legal instead.--Michael O. Eshleman, Kings Mills, OH

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Here's Sevilla's third collection of funnies (Disorderly Conduct, 1989; Disorder in the Court, 1993) from U.S. courts, supplied by contributors, named and anonymous, from around the U.S. In 10 chapters, with such titles as The Defendants, The Lawyers, and The Jurors, odd and humorous excerpts from court proceedings, sometimes in Q&A format, are presented. Bad language, misunderstandings, and malapropisms abound, and sometimes the judges themselves let loose with fed-up lectures, comments, and last-word asides. The accused, for the most part, come up with the most comments, both unexpected and profane. Although some anecdotes may ring bigger bells for those in the legal field, others are easy to laugh at, even while noting that they're about probable serious offenders and others in nerve-racking spots (e.g., a forensic psychologist is asked his current position. Answer? Sitting ). Sevilla opens each chapter with quotes from luminaries, ranging from Rodney Dangerfield to Charles Dickens to Albert Einstein, that provide food for thought amid the chuckles. Funny and eye-opening.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)