This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Special lawyers Edition
This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays, we look at lawyers doing things that are just plain stupid—and none of it is connected to their actual lawyering. These aren’t courtroom blunders or legal missteps, but moments of astonishingly bad judgment in everyday life. From bizarre behaviour at work events to outrageous public outbursts and outright fraud, these stories remind us that holding a law degree doesn’t guarantee common sense.
The Naughty Toddler Summer Associate Who Bit Her Career Goodbye
Every year a few summer associates and articled students tank their future with spectacularly bad judgment. One woman at a U.S. Biglaw firm decided to act out a “naughty toddler impression” at a firm event. This wasn’t just a joke or a quip poorly considered. The reports are that she crawled under tables, grabbed attorneys by the legs, and even pretended to bite people. As one might expect, people at the event were uncomfortable. The firm promptly sent her packing.
Being quirky is one thing. We’re fully in support of being yourself and weirdness in general. Acting like a toddler and fake-biting partners in a high-stakes professional setting is, um, something else entirely.
The Lawyer Who Declared Herself Special on a Plane
In a TikTok video that went viral last week, a woman was seen pushing past other passengers to be the first to deplane. When another passenger asked her to wait her turn, she shouted, “Shut your mouth.” She then declared, “I am special. Just deal with it.” Internet sleuths quickly identified her as a practicing lawyer.
She may be special, but rules apply to everyone in the exit line. One hopes that the personal professional discipline she brings to legal work doesn’t follow her into the cabin of a commercial flight.
The Fake Lawyer Who Took On Dictators
Giovanni Di Stefano made headlines for claiming to represent the world’s most infamous figures. He called himself the “Devil’s Advocate” and said he worked on behalf of Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milošević, and others. He gave interviews and billed clients like a real lawyer. The only problem was that he had never been licensed to practice law. It took years before he was charged, then convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison for fraud and deception. It seems he got very far on confidence alone.
These stories have nothing to do with courtroom strategy or legal reasoning. They are simply bad decisions made by people who happen to hold law degrees.
See you next week.
