I have been surprised since writing my novel, "SILVER -- My Own Tale As Told By Me With A Goodly Amount Of Murder", by a particular question that readers have asked and the frequency with which it has been asked. The question assumes different forms, but it is chronic: "What is the difference between pirates and lawyers?"

The question is always asked with a smile and the audience consistently responds with a laugh. I don't resent the question or the person asking it. I do resent the popular (perhaps even pop) notion that lawyers are little more than pen-wielding cutthroats sailing on sheaves of legal-sized paper.

Lawyers are the opposite of pirates. We uphold the law and are required to abide by strict ethical standards. Our duty to our client is high. Yet, we have become a punch line -- an easy laugh. Why? When did the opinion about lawyers change from respect to disdain? (Dickens took a shot at lawyers; however, he apparently distrusted anyone that hadn't spent time in a workhouse or a debtor's prison. Shakespeare, famously, had one of his comic characters tell another comic character to kill all the lawyers, but the bard was distinguishing between lawyers, the law and justice.)

I suppose that a person might respond to the question by pointing out the vigor with which lawyers pursue their clients' interests. Pirates, on the other hand, tend to use their cutlasses to pursue their own interests: robbing, ransoming and murdering.

We are a litigious society, and many who have been on the losing end of a battle, or have been grilled during testimony, leave the courtroom, boardroom or conference room angry at their treatment. I recently spoke with a doctor that had suffered the indignation of an investigation into his treatment of a patient, and complained about the ruthlessness of the legal team questioning him. He emphasized that he, who had only seen the patient once, was under attack, and added that the patient -- which died -- had a low life expectancy anyway. Lawyers must discern the facts in order to distinguish truth from trickery. I told this to the doctor and he, without a touch of irony, replied that when the case concluded and he "won", he intended to bring an action against the plaintiff. I asked him if he was going to hire an attorney. "Hire an attorney? Of course," he replied.

Pirates are not known for seeking out truth and justice. They traditionally shy away from courtrooms because of their aversion to hanging.

Greed. My experience is that greed, like gluttony, crosses all socioeconomic barriers on land and sea. Lawyers expect to be paid for their services. The market determines how much a lawyer can charge. If a client believes that a lawyer's hourly rate is too high, the client is free to hire a different lawyer that charges less. There are lots of lawyers and lots of rates. Not all lawyers are created equal, and the client knows this, and so rarely picks a lawyer based solely on rate.