Rob, I understand where you're coming from, but it doesn't change my opinion any.  Granted, there are areas of the profession which require a thorough knowledge of the law and its application, however, I don't need a medical degree to know how to apply a band-aid.

I recently had an experience in which I asked an acquaintance of mine who happens to be a lawyer to draft a basic non-disclosure agreement for a project on which I am working.  The finished product turned out to be two-and-a-half pages of boilerplate language she had copied practically verbatim from a form book.  For this, she had the unmitigated gall to charge me over $300.00!!

It would have been one thing if she had actually taken the time to sit down with me to discuss my specific situation (the professional thing to do, in my opinion).  Doing a cut-and-paste job and passing it off as lawyering is quite another.  After having worked in a number of law firms and corporate legal departments, I am of the opinion that this sort of thing occurs on a regular basis.

So you can see why I am left with a less-than-favorable impression of the profession as a whole.

Regards,
Scott

(Trivia question:  What law school did Abraham Lincoln attend?)