‘L.A. Law’ Poor Role Model, Attorneys Say

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —  Some Florida lawyers and judges are fed up with what they call “S.O.B. Litigators,” who’ve adopted some of the brash mannerisms displayed by characters in the popular TV show, “L.A. Law.”

“It’s a severe problem in the court system,” said Geneva Forrester, a divorce lawyer in St. Petersburg.

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Robert E. Beach said he has detected a definite pattern. The hardball attorneys come out of the woodwork, “Especially the morning after ‘L.A. Law.’ ”

During one criminal case, Beach said, “I had the other attorney come up to me afterward and say, ‘Did you see “L.A. Law” last night?’ I said, ‘No, I didn’t.’ He said, ‘What he did was right out of “L.A. Law” last night. In fact, some of his lines were right out of “L.A. Law.” ’ “

Civil cases, particularly divorces, usually are worse because lawyers take on the emotions of their clients, said James Fox Miller, president of the Florida Bar.

“Criminal lawyers see bad people at their best,” Miller said, “and divorce lawyers see good people at their worst.”

The recent decline in cordiality was lamented by a panel that included Florida Supreme Court Justice Raymond Ehrlich last month during a meeting of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Even the American Bar Assn. has taken an interest in the phenomenon, releasing a two-videotape series titled, “Dealing With The S.O.B. Litigator.”

“(Abrasive lawyers) accuse you of everything but fornication on the courthouse steps,” Forrester said. “Every week, we get at least one attorney who overreacts this way, and with no apparent reason.”

Jerry Butterfield, spokesman for the Florida Bar, said attorneys sometimes resort to verbal attacks because that’s what their clients expect.

“There’s a general attitude out there by the public that they expect to have a hired gun,” Butterfield said.

Another problem is that there are just too many lawyers, said Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Fred L. Bryson.