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Lighten Up Francis!

By Philip Thomas on March 28, 2014

A little humor on a Friday.

The longer I practice law, the more I enjoy John Grisham’s novels based on Mississippi lawyers. His cracks on lawyers and law practice are both hilarious and true. 

Here’s a line from Grisham’s latest, Sycamore Row:

“Ian Dafoe was a preppy from a family of bankers down in Jackson, the capital, the largest city, home to at least half the assholes in Mississippi.”

By “assholes, ” I’m not sure if he means half the lawyers or, literally, half the assholes. I think it’s the former. But for a Coast-rat attorney living in Jackson, it’s an awesome line either way.

Then, in the very next paragraph:

The payments [on the leased Mercedes] caused a bind on their finances, but that didn’t matter. It was far more important for Mr. and Mrs. Dafoe to be seen around north Jackson in a proper vehicle. 

Just outstanding. Grisham works cracks like this into all his novels. Each one leaves me grinning for pages.

  • Posted in:
    Appellate, Civil Litigation, Insurance
  • Organization:
    Philip W. Thomas Law Firm

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