'Attorney Man' Teaches Truth, Justice and the Marketing Way

But this superhero tale is not for kids ' and not just because the Jealous Mistress of the Law wears a corset and fishnet stockings. The comic (for sale at www.attorney man.org) is a clever professional-development tool, designed to help lawyers become 'heroes' at their firms by marketing themselves and bringing in new business. Our hero is Tim Silver, an attorney at Cha Chingi Changa LLP. Tim has just been elected senior partner, but despite missing the birth of his children and billing 23,000 hours, he realizes, 'I have nothing. No confidence. No clients. No prospects.' Then he meets Dr. Development, a mad scientist sporting a huge pair of glasses, a tangle of frizzy hair and an elixir he promises will bring out Tim's true potential. The good doctor and the Mistress of the Law teach Tim how to network and attract new clients ' and Attorney Man is born!

How Real Is Attorney Man?

'Attorney Man' is far from a standard marketing text, and the comic doesn't feel as hokey and plodding as your run-of-the-mill teaching tool. The Mistress of the Law doesn't just tell Tim to think positive; she holds him next to a glass of water and shouts, 'Half full!' (Quips Tim: 'That's what I call liquid assets.')

The pace is frenzied; each page is packed with panels and puns, as though the author couldn't decide what joke was best, so she decided to include every one. In one panel, Tim is in the shower, with the Mistress singing, 'I'm gonna wash the law right outta your hair'; then he's in school, learning to take risks and admit mistakes. The background then switches to a bedroom, then a baseball field, then a pirate ship ' whatever metaphor best suits the lesson at hand.

Even with all the detail, the lessons themselves rarely extend any further than one-liners. ('When you are at the top of your game, you can afford to take more risk.')

Although watching Tim learn to swing for the fences (literally, on that baseball field) might make it easier to remember the moral of the story, it's not likely to teach lawyers how to apply these sales maxims in real life. So, if anyone honestly wants to take it seriously, the comic is probably best used as part of a training program in which trainers can go into each point in more detail.

You won't become a master marketer just from reading 'Attorney Man,' but you will find at least a few chuckles. Especially if you tend to giggle at the thought of corny puns and lawyers riding a pirate ship.

Jennifer Wand is a reporter for the Legal Times, a sister publication of this newsletter.

Every child has favorite superheroes ' those comic-book giants who defend justice and protect the world from evil. Now, there is a brand-new hero to add to the pantheon. Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, meet Attorney Man!

Attorneys As Superheroes

That's the idea behind the new 'comic book for lawyers,' 'Attorney Man,' written by lawyer-turned-business-development specialist Karen Katz (formerly of Crowell & Moring and Hale & Dorr) and penned by artists Raul Gonzalez and Elaine Bay.

But this superhero tale is not for kids ' and not just because the Jealous Mistress of the Law wears a corset and fishnet stockings. The comic (for sale at www.attorney man.org) is a clever professional-development tool, designed to help lawyers become 'heroes' at their firms by marketing themselves and bringing in new business. Our hero is Tim Silver, an attorney at Cha Chingi Changa LLP. Tim has just been elected senior partner, but despite missing the birth of his children and billing 23,000 hours, he realizes, 'I have nothing. No confidence. No clients. No prospects.' Then he meets Dr. Development, a mad scientist sporting a huge pair of glasses, a tangle of frizzy hair and an elixir he promises will bring out Tim's true potential. The good doctor and the Mistress of the Law teach Tim how to network and attract new clients ' and Attorney Man is born!

How Real Is Attorney Man?

'Attorney Man' is far from a standard marketing text, and the comic doesn't feel as hokey and plodding as your run-of-the-mill teaching tool. The Mistress of the Law doesn't just tell Tim to think positive; she holds him next to a glass of water and shouts, 'Half full!' (Quips Tim: 'That's what I call liquid assets.')

The pace is frenzied; each page is packed with panels and puns, as though the author couldn't decide what joke was best, so she decided to include every one. In one panel, Tim is in the shower, with the Mistress singing, 'I'm gonna wash the law right outta your hair'; then he's in school, learning to take risks and admit mistakes. The background then switches to a bedroom, then a baseball field, then a pirate ship ' whatever metaphor best suits the lesson at hand.

Even with all the detail, the lessons themselves rarely extend any further than one-liners. ('When you are at the top of your game, you can afford to take more risk.')

Although watching Tim learn to swing for the fences (literally, on that baseball field) might make it easier to remember the moral of the story, it's not likely to teach lawyers how to apply these sales maxims in real life. So, if anyone honestly wants to take it seriously, the comic is probably best used as part of a training program in which trainers can go into each point in more detail.

You won't become a master marketer just from reading 'Attorney Man,' but you will find at least a few chuckles. Especially if you tend to giggle at the thought of corny puns and lawyers riding a pirate ship.

Jennifer Wand is a reporter for the Legal Times, a sister publication of this newsletter.