Not just another lawyer

Once again we drink from that font of wisdom: network television.

Last time we did this, we learned about plain English on "24." (See What would Jack Bauer do? Use plain English.) This time, we turn to NBC's "30 Rock."

At the end of last week's episode, a man walks into Liz Lemon's office to explain that he was the one who had mistakenly sent her Valentine's roses. When she asks him who he is, he explains:

         LAWYER
I work up in Legal, and —

         LIZ (interrupting)
You're a lawyer?

         LAWYER (shaking his head)
I prefer ... law stylist.

At first I wrote this off as just-another dig at lawyers, showing that they're so embarrassed by their profession that they don't even want to use the word lawyer. Heck, even I've done that.

But then I thought that maybe there was something more to it. What if instead of just acting like lawyers, we tried acting like "law stylists," using a little creativity to surprise and delight our clients? Just another thing to think about while we're looking for the remote ...