Have Pen, Will Travel
We often hear about the most dramatic court cases, or those involving high profile persons or extremely large amounts of money. But a colleague recently blogged about how transactional work from a conventional attorney can be high drama, too. It’s always refreshing to receive this sort of recognition (or redemption).
Those of you who are old enough may remember the popular television show, “Have Gun Will Travel.” The main character, known only as Paladin, was paid a hefty fee to settle problems without violence when possible, but excelled when forced to fight. "Trekkies" may be aware that most (if not all) episodes were written by Gene Roddenberry. the creator of “Star Trek.”
I recall one particular episode of the show about a woman who hired Paladin to represent her. She married a miner after spending only one evening with him. He left all his worldly possessions to her in a will in his own handwriting, and died. He had no other heirs. A partner challenged the will. Paladin, although not a lawyer, got the judge to agree to a jury of only three, who happened to be elderly miners themselves. He presented to them the story of how his client gave a lonely old man one wonderful evening of companionship and respect (no snickering here – this was the 1950’s). The jury agreed the will was valid.
The “attorney as hired gun” can be a pejorative, negative metaphor. It’s important to bear in mind that Paladin, who often exhibited his education and breadth of knowledge, only resorted to combat as a last resort. In that sense I like to think we are modern-day Paladins. We may not carry derringers under our belts, but we do consider ourselves well-read, highly prepared, and ready to take on the bad guys, armed with knowledge and experience – and resorting to ritualized combat (litigation) only as a last resort.
The paladins, sometimes known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court. photo courtesy Wikipedia
