[umvi]

Yeah, I didn't realize how downright nefarious lawyers can be until I read "Bad Blood" and thought to myself "How is what David Boies does to help Theranos legal? This seems extremely unethical at the very least, and highly illegal at most"

[nmfisher]

As someone who (in an earlier life) started off in the profession, here's a dirty little secret - I'd say around 2/3 of lawyers get by on pure bluff, bluster and intimidation. I'm talking shouting on phone calls, slamming fists on tables, threatening letters, and so on.

Once you have the slightest clue about the law, it's easy to just laugh it off. The problem is, most people don't know any better, so these tactics are incredibly effective a lot of the time.

However, you do get a truly lethal combination when you combine an asshole lawyer with a well-funded client. That's not because it's some highly intelligent, sophisticated legal team who can craft superior legal arguments. Rather, it's because they can simply brute-force their way through by outspending you.

It doesn't matter how legally "right" you are if you're not willing/able to spend the money in court to prove it. A lot of people take advantage of that, including the asshole lawyer (who, of course, profits from it).

[blaser-waffle]

> As someone who (in an earlier life) started off in the profession, here's a dirty little secret - I'd say around 2/3 of lawyers get by on pure bluff, bluster and intimidation. I'm talking shouting on phone calls, slamming fists on tables, threatening letters, and so on.

"If you have the facts on your side, you pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, you pound the law.

If you don't have facts or law on your side, you pound the table"

[spaetzleesser]

Totally agree about Boies. This behavior should have consequences. He behaved like a mafia hitman who doesn’t care who he is bringing down as long as the money keeps flowing. Basically he is a psychopath with no ethics.