To Quote Neal Stephenson...
"[the] time-encrusted monstrosity of Common Law, that staggering, cobwebbed Beast, that senile compendium of folklore and wives' tales, a scabrous Colander sieving all the chunky bits out of the evanescent flux of Society and compacting 'em into legal head-cheese." Seems I've been bumping into lots of lawyers (present and past) these days. In tribute to their craft, above is my favourite quote from Neal Stephenson's book, Quicksilver. Time: 1688. Place: London England. Stage: the Star Chamber - Westminster Palace. Speaker: Lord Chancellor Jeffreys - solicitor, lawyer, nasty dude. Addressing: Dr. Daniel Waterhouse - natural philosopher and childhood friend of Sir Isaac Newton. http://www.amazon.com/Quicksilver-Baroque-Cycle-Vol-1/dp/0380977427