Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Bar and the Pole

I can't help but laugh about this story. Basically, a lawyer was representing a stripper in some legal matters. The stripper "paid" part of her legal fees with lapdances. But now the lawyer is in trouble for this and is being suspended for 15 months from lawyering for it.

A few thoughts:

Stripping is a profession, and lapdances are a legitimate "service" which I believe can be used in exchange for goods and services. This happens a lot with lawyers, trading legal fees for non-monetary services. I know of one lawyer who got a car in exchange for his work on behalf of a cash strapped client.

The real mistake here wasn't the "exchange" if you will, (though I'm sure that's what really got him in trouble) but the fact that he apparently tried to screw over this woman (both literally and figuratively). According to the story she complained that he didn't properly credit her account for her time and that he tried to innappropriately touch her while she was dancing. He denies this, but I have little sympathy for the guy since he apparently didn't think about the ramifications of his actions. I wonder if he was smart enough to have a real contract written up to prove the legitimacy of this arrangement, but I'm pretty sure the answer is no.

The lesson is clear: strippers are people too. People who you shouldn't mess with, cause they will turn you in and ruin your life if you try to screw them over. Just remember: no matter how in the wrong they may be, the shit is gonna rain down on you.

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