Life — February 8, 1917 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "As the Successful Lawyer Appears" This page presents six comic vignettes satirizing how successful lawyers are perceived or behave. The cartoons illustrate stereotypical outcomes: 1. **"To the man he pulls out of a bad hole"** — The lawyer as heroic rescuer 2. **"To the litigant he defeats"** — The opponent as humiliated loser 3. **"To the heirs of the estate he settles"** — Wealthy beneficiaries 4. **"To his wife"** — Family receiving benefits 5. **"To his daughter"** — Another family member advantaged 6. **"And to the Judge"** — A phonograph, suggesting the lawyer "plays" the judge like a record The satire mocks how lawyers enjoy different reputations depending on perspective—heroic to clients, destructive to opponents, and corrupt to the judiciary. The final image implies judges are easily manipulated by successful attorneys.