It is not a compliment to say a lawyer has a “sharp practice.” It does not mean that he is the sharpest pencil in the drawer or that he is well-dressed.

I first heard that term when I clerked for the public defender during my final year of law school. I asked the public defender what it meant. He told me it was a lawyer that took short cuts and could not be trusted. You needed to get everything from him in writing because he was not as good as his word.

Webster’s Dictionary defines A “sharp practice” as a “dealing in which advantage is taken or sought unscrupulously.”

Occasionally a divorce client will hire me thinking that I will help them take advantage of their spouse. They want me to find a loophole or a way to keep more than their share of assets or income. Like the President, they are looking for their Roy Cohn.

Upon entering my office you will see a sign from The Honest Lawyer Pub in England. Take note. If you are looking for your Roy Cohn, he is not at this address.