GJEL Blog » Legal Humor

Much like you can’t yell “fire” in a crowded movie theater, it would appear yelling “bingo” in a crowded bingo hall is also off the table. Earlier this week a Kentucky judge sentenced an 18-year-old accused of second-degree disorderly conduct to refrain from using the word “bingo” for the next six months as part of [...]

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Earlier this week, Florida teen Penelope Soto got international attention when a video of her mouthing off to Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat started making the rounds online. In the video you see the 18-year-old Soto giggling through her bond hearing, getting chastised for not taking the hearing seriously, and having her bond increased from [...]

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Heading into this week’s Super Bowl big game, Samsung has decided to poke a bit of fun at the fact advertisers aren’t allowed to mention the NFL’s trademarked championship event by its generally accepted name. The commercial, featuring Bob Odenkirk, Seth Rogen, and Paul Rudd riffing on the upcoming game between the “Baltimore Black Birds” [...]

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It may seem like a punishment right out of a sitcom, but a Cleveland Municipal court judge has sentenced a Cleveland woman to wear a sign that says, “Only an idiot drives on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” Based on the text of the sign it’s not hard to guess what she did [...]

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As part of the new advertising campaign for this summer’s Pixar animated film Cars 2, Disney has released a public service announcement that warns about the dangers of distracted driving with the help of characters from the film. The short PSA is sponsored by the film studios and the Department of Transportation to spread the message that “only bad guys drive distracted,” and “one text or call could wreck it all.” The combined DOT and Cars 2 website provides additional information on distracted driving.

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It’s always fun to see lawyers portrayed on television. Some, like Law & Order’s Jack McCoy or Matlock’s Ben Matlock illustrate the most virtuous aspects of the justice system. Others, like Arrested Development’s Barry Zuckercorn or Lionel Hutz from The Simpsons essentially wrap up decades of lawyer jokes into one succinct character. To help separate the wheat from the chaff, legal tabloid blog Above the Law has developed a bracket of their readers’ favorite fictional lawyers. Click through for my predictions.

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On the air for more than 20 years, the iconic family cartoon sitcom “The Simpsons” has covered just about every topic you can think of. So it’s no surprise that the show has addressed – and mocked – many legal issues. In fact, The Simpsons has managed to cover personal injury law, sexual harassment, false advertising, criminal law, food safety, copyright law, and more. While the plots of these episodes themselves are hilarious, they wouldn’t be quite as great without shuckster attorney Lionel Hutz (Phil Hartman). We’ve compiled a list of our favorite lawsuits in the Simpsons, in chronological order.

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Everyone knows that texting or typing on your cell phone while driving is very dangerous. Last year, distracted driving accounted for 5,500 traffic fatalities and nearly 500,000 injuries nationwide. What’s less known, is that kissing your parter while driving is also incredibly dangerous, and incredibly common. As the Consumer Reports Cars Blog notes today, a report by GfK Roper found that 30 percent of drivers admit to kissing while driving. When it comes to employed drivers who completed higher education, the statistic is even higher: nearly 40 percent.

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Last week, we brought you some of the most absurd attempts of replicating judicial in the most unlikely courtroom dramas. Ranging from Chicago to Miracle on 34th Street, it was clear that film writers are comfortable fudging the facts and realities when it comes to telling a compelling story. Not surprisingly, the same is true for legal comedies… to an even more outlandish extent. But since comedies typically aren’t bound by realism or attention to detail, the freedoms taken in the films described below are perhaps more forgivable than those taken in courtroom dramas. Take a look at our list, ranging all the way from Legally Blonde to Ghostbusters II.

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I’m a total sucker for legal dramas. When done well, it’s a great format to build suspense and make important social statements. When done poorly, courtroom dramas can range from painful, to hilarious, to downright irresponsible with facts and details of legal procedure. Unfortunately, courtroom dramas are often absurdly bad, so we decided to take a look at some of the films with the most unlikely courtroom scenes relating to courtroom procedure, attorney conduct, or legal realities. Take a look, and let us know what we missed in the comments.

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The holiday season is a great time to reconnect with family and friends, reflect on the past year, and eat some delicious food. But it also comes with a unique set of dangers that could lead to serious injuries. Some of the more common holiday injuries are the result of car accidents due to bad visibility and adverse road conditions, but the season also carries the possibility of some unexpected incidents. Who knew, for example, that gift wrap was the cause of thousands of injuries each year? And shopping for gifts at the mall can even lead to injuries. It’s no surprise that George Costanza’s father swore off the holidays altogether in deciding to celebrate Festivus after he accosted a man shopping for the same gift. As Frank describes it, “As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.” And when you consider the complete list of bizarre holiday injuries, Frank’s frustration becomes even more understandable.

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Since TV first hit households more than a half-century ago, legal dramas and legal comedies have been two of the most consistent and quality genres. Legal dramas have pointed out (and probably embellished) the heroic and filthy aspects of the legal system and lawyers who operate within it. Comedies have fulfilled a similar function, but often through the lens of bumbling, feckless attorneys. The list below looks at some of the most prolific television attorneys since the networks began making legal programs. Some have been great, some have been terrible, and some have been downright criminal. But all have been entertaining.

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The rise of social media, and the Internet as a whole, has fostered the ability to connect with old friends, professional acquaintances, and distant family members. It also creates the possibility for a whole new world of social media quandaries that could lead to massive lawsuits. Whether its Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or Yelp, users of every major social media website have run into unique legal problems. And it doesn’t always end up pretty for the little guy. Below is a list of ten epic social media #Fails that have led to major lawsuits.

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In yesterday’s blog post, we asked you to drive safe over Labor Day weekend. But we also want you to have a ton of fun. So with that in mind, I thought we’d kick start the long weekend with legal humor roundup. This week, we have the US Open for Lawyers, a potential warewolf push-up competition, and beer pong discussed in detail in a real lawsuit. Enjoy!

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The Consumer Attorneys of California have created a video detailing just what the world would be like without lawyers. Sure, we’ve become an over lawyered society to a certain extent. But lawyers provide far more good than harm, and continue to fight for “the little guy” against corporations who have the resources to get legislation and public opinion on their side. Click through for the video.

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Since this blog focuses mostly on consumer safety, there’s not much opportunity to write about legal humor. But there’s a lot to go around, and every once in a while (especially on a Friday), it’s nice to dive in and see what has made blawgers chuckle recently. This week, the “Battle of Television’s Greatest Lawyers,” outlawed eye-rolling, and toad lickers.

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Gearing up for the holiday weekend, we thought it necessary to revive GJEL Accident Attorneys’ legal humor category. With that, we’ve compiled 9 Seinfeld-related lawsuits, five fictional and four real, to commemorate the 9 years the 90′s mega-sitcom fantastically mocked most aspects, significant and mundane, of real life. And the show’s take on the legal industry was no different. Check out our list.

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Even better than finding a $20 bill in your ski jacket! The New York Times reported on Monday that a group of law schools is inflating grades retroactively to make students “look more attractive in a competitive job market.” Over the past two years, the story explains, schools like New York University, Georgetown and Golden Gate University have bumped grades up 0.333, transforming a B- into a B, a B to a B+, and so on.

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One of the aspects of my job that I like the best, is interacting with other legal bloggers across the country and here in the Bay Area. But one of the major drawbacks of blogging is that those connections can feel hollow: rather than discussing a particular issue with a person, for example, it can feel like you’re debating with a screenname or webpage.

Come meet me at 6:00 pm at San Francisco’s Thirsty Bear Brewery on June 3rd so we can put some human faces to the names of familiar Bay Area bloggers with a post-work drink.

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Things have been all together too serious on this blog for a while. There’s been way too many reports of texting while driving, accidents, and other generally serious topics. So today, since it’s Friday and we could all use a little bit of happiness, I bring you legal humor: a story, videos, and more! First, [...]

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