{"id":160664,"date":"2025-04-20T21:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=160664"},"modified":"2025-04-19T16:34:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T00:34:30","slug":"bartleby-the-scrivener-has-thoughts-on-trump-vs-big-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=160664","title":{"rendered":"Bartleby the Scrivener has thoughts on Trump vs Big Law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grok: Setting: A dimly lit, paper-strewn office in modern-day London, 2025. Bartleby the Scrivener, inexplicably transported to the present, sits at a cluttered desk, quill in hand, surrounded by laptops and empty coffee cups. Bertie Wooster bursts in, waving his phone, with Jeeves trailing calmly behind. The topic: Trump\u2019s war on Big Law, as seen on X.<\/strong>
\nBertie: I say, Bartleby, old bean, you\u2019ve got to hear this! That Trump chap\u2019s gone and declared war on Big Law\u2014taxes, regulations, the works! It\u2019s all over X. Can\u2019t get a decent lawyer for love nor money soon, mark my words. What\u2019s your take, you being a scrivener and all?
\nBartleby: Pauses, adjusting his spectacles, voice monotone. I would prefer not to opine on such matters.
\nBertie: Prefer not to? Dash it, Bartleby, you can\u2019t just sit there like a human paperweight! This is serious! If Trump mucks up Big Law, I\u2019ll be defenseless against Aunt Agatha\u2019s next plot to shackle me to some ghastly heiress. You\u2019re a legal sort\u2014give us the lowdown!
\nJeeves: If I may, sir, Mr. Bartleby\u2019s reticence is well-documented. However, the former President\u2019s campaign against large law firms, as articulated on X, appears aimed at curbing their perceived excesses\u2014exorbitant fees and influence. The proposed measures, though vague, have sparked debate about access to justice versus market disruption.
\nBartleby: Shuffling papers, unmoved. I would prefer not to engage with such disruptions. My concern is copying, not commentary.
\nBertie: Copying? Hang copying, man! The world\u2019s gone topsy-turvy! Trump\u2019s out there swinging at law firms like they\u2019re pi\u00f1atas, and you\u2019re fussing over parchment? What if I need a lawyer to fend off a lawsuit? Last month, Tuppy Glossop got sued for tweeting that his neighbor\u2019s dog looked like a poorly shaved badger. Needed Big Law to bail him out!
\nBartleby: Flatly. I would prefer not to involve myself in canine-related litigation.
\nJeeves: A prudent stance, sir. To clarify, Mr. Trump\u2019s rhetoric, as observed on X, suggests a desire to favor smaller firms and reduce costs for clients. Critics, however, warn of unintended consequences\u2014diminished expertise for complex cases, such as Mr. Glossop\u2019s unfortunate tweet. I have identified several local solicitors unaffected by these transatlantic policies, should the need arise.
\nBertie: Jolly good, Jeeves, but I\u2019m still in a flap. Bartleby, you must have some thoughts. You\u2019ve seen law offices, all that scribbling and sealing wax. Isn\u2019t Big Law the backbone of getting chaps out of scrapes? What\u2019s Trump playing at, rattling their cage?
\nBartleby: Staring at a blank screen. I would prefer not to speculate on motives. Law is a machine, and I am but a cog. Whether large or small, firms grind on. I copy what is set before me.
\nBertie: A cog? You\u2019re about as lively as a damp sponge, Bartleby! This is no time for coggery. If Big Law goes under, I\u2019ll be stuck hiring some cut-rate lawyer who\u2019d lose a case against a parking meter. Trump\u2019s stirring up a hornet\u2019s nest\u2014says it\u2019s for the little guy, but I\u2019m the one who\u2019ll suffer!
\nJeeves: If I may, sir, Mr. Bartleby\u2019s perspective, while reserved, underscores a certain stoicism. The legal profession, as he implies, endures despite external pressures. I assure you, sir, that I have preemptively secured contact with a reputable barrister, should your entanglements escalate.
\nBartleby: Muttering, almost to himself. I would prefer not to witness such entanglements. Yet, if I must copy, let it be briefs, not tweets.
\nBertie: Briefs, not tweets? Ha! That\u2019s the spirit, Bartleby! You\u2019re halfway to a quip there. But seriously, this Trump business has me rattled. War on Big Law, indeed! Next he\u2019ll be taxing my club\u2019s brandy. Jeeves, what\u2019s the move? Can\u2019t we just bribe a judge or something?
\nJeeves: Bribery, sir, is neither advisable nor necessary. I propose a more temperate course: monitoring developments via X and ensuring your legal needs are met through prudent channels. Mr. Bartleby, might you be persuaded to assist with drafting a memorandum, should the occasion demand?
\nBartleby: Sighing, quill poised. I would prefer not to. But if it must be done, I will copy. Slowly.
\nBertie: Slowly\u2019s better than nothing, I suppose. Right, Jeeves, let\u2019s leave Bartleby to his quill and get me a stiff drink. All this talk of Trump and lawyers has my head spinning like a top. To the Drones Club\u2014and here\u2019s to Big Law surviving this bally onslaught!
\nJeeves: Very good, sir. He steers Bertie toward the door, casting a sympathetic glance at Bartleby, who resumes staring into the void, unmoved by the chaos of 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grok: Setting: A dimly lit, paper-strewn office in modern-day London, 2025. Bartleby the Scrivener, inexplicably transported to the present, sits at a cluttered desk, quill in hand, surrounded by laptops and empty coffee cups. Bertie Wooster bursts in, waving his … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[551],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-law"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t