Daniel R. White
Encyclopedia
Daniel R. White rose to prominence on the basis of his first book, The Official Lawyer’s Handbook, a satire
of the legal profession that vaulted onto bestseller
lists across the United States in the early 1980s. The success of the Handbook, which ranked #1 on The Washington Post
best seller list and presumably drew on White's personal experience practicing law with the Washington, D.C., law firm of Hogan & Hartson, led to television appearances, speaking engagements, and other books, as a result of which The American Lawyer
magazine declared White “The Official Lawyer’s Comedian.”
Calling the Handbook his "vehicle of liberation from the practice of law," White left the private practice of law in 1983. He now makes his living in various word-related ways, including as a writer, editor, corporate entertainer, legal comedian, legal writing instructor, and college essay consultant.
, a co-educational college preparatory school in Atlanta, Georgia. He obtained a B.A.
in Government from Harvard College
, graduating magna cum laude in 1975.
After college, he traveled to Seoul, Korea, where he wrote and edited travel articles for the Korea National Tourism Corporation (later renamed the Korea Tourism Organization
), an agency of the Republic of Korea.
The following year he attended Columbia Law School
, where he obtained a J.D. in 1979. He served as Articles Editor of the Columbia Law Review
, which published his first legal writing, "Pacifica Foundation v. FCC: ‘Filthy Words,’ the First Amendment, and the Broadcast Media," during White’s second year. That article, which discussed a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on comedian George Carlin
’s famous "Seven Dirty Words" monologue, was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in a related ruling.
At Columbia, White was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar and the recipient of the Archie O. Dawson Advocacy Award, which provided clerkships for the study of advocacy at the three levels of the federal judiciary, including a period in the chambers of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
.
White served as law clerk
to the Hon. Thomas A. Flannery, a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and then joined Hogan & Hartson, where he spent roughly 2 years, 11 months and 4 days. Upon leaving Hogan & Hartson, he devoted approximately four years to promoting his first book, commencing his career as a public speaker and corporate entertainer, and attempting without success to become a screenwriter. For several years White practiced law sporadically with the firm of Ross, Dixon & Masback. Thereafter, for just over a year, White worked as a legal business consultant for the accounting and consulting firm Arthur Andersen
. There he consulted primarily for corporate law departments, where he performed such tasks as a substantive and stylistic overhaul of Exxon's "Guidelines for Use of Outside Counsel."
An extraordinary number of lawyers populate White's family tree. These include his oldest brother, Ben White; his father, Ed White; his Grandfather B.B. Taylor, Sr.; Uncles B.B. Taylor, Jr., and John Taylor; Aunt Mary White; Great Uncle Pettus White; Cousins Pollard White, Lee White, Steve White, Jr., Steve White III, John White, and Amy White.
White now lives with his wife and daughter in Los Angeles, where he continues to work as a professional editor, legal comedian, corporate entertainer, writing tutor for high school and college students, and college essay counselor. In addition, as a legal writing instructor for the Professional Education Group, a Minneapolis-based provider of continuing legal education programs, White puts on seminars for lawyers, paralegals and others across the United States.
national list. On the basis of this book The Washington Post declared White “the legal profession’s court jester” and credited him with having “helped launch the current wave of legal humor.”
This book was re-released in updated form as Still the Official Lawyer’s Handbook, and then released in revised form in Britain, with Philip R. Jenks as co-author.
White’s reputation as a legal humorist was fostered by his other books, especially White’s Law Dictionary, a parody of the classic legal lexicon, Black's Law Dictionary
; Trials and Tribulations – An Anthology of Appealing Legal Humor; and What Lawyers Do – And How To Make Them Work for You, a light-in-tone but essentially substantive book that enjoyed the distinction of becoming a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
White has also written a number of relatively minor volumes, a nonexhaustive list of which includes The Classic Cocktails Book, The Martini, Really Redneck, The Birthday Book, and Horrorscopes.
Less known as a journalist, White has published articles for publications ranging from the American Bar Association Journal to Cosmopolitan
. A number of other publications have carried articles by Daniel R. White, including Of Counsel, Barrister, Medical Meetings, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, The Washington Weekly, Minnesota Law & Politics, Docket (ACCA), Employment Law Strategist, Marketing for Lawyers, and Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report.
Although even less known as a poet, White's epic tribute to legal warriors, "An Ode to Litigation," met with general acclaim when it appared in the National Law Journal, and one of its 32 stanzas is quoted in Jennifer L. Pierce's treatise, Gender Bender Trials: Emotional Lives in Contemporary Law Firms:
White has also established himself as a freelance editor of non-fiction monographs.
.
White has written jokes for corporate executives and Jay Leno. His parody of Ernest Hemingway
's writing style appeared in The Best of Bad Hemingway, an anthology.
, CBS
, NPR
, and numerous other television and radio shows across the country. He has been profiled in dozens of publications, including The New York Times
, The Washington Post, Time
magazine, and the International Herald Tribune
.
As a result of this publicity, he came into demand as a public speaker and corporate entertainer. He has addressed bar associations, medical conventions, law firms, and other gatherings across the United States and abroad.
Contrasting himself with lawyers who ridicule the legal profession with "lawyer joke
s" and engage in "lawyer bashing," White has said his jabs are soft-gloved and affectionate, because he is "a member of that union
," being a lawyer himself and coming from a family of lawyers.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of the legal profession that vaulted onto bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
lists across the United States in the early 1980s. The success of the Handbook, which ranked #1 on The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
best seller list and presumably drew on White's personal experience practicing law with the Washington, D.C., law firm of Hogan & Hartson, led to television appearances, speaking engagements, and other books, as a result of which The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
magazine declared White “The Official Lawyer’s Comedian.”
Calling the Handbook his "vehicle of liberation from the practice of law," White left the private practice of law in 1983. He now makes his living in various word-related ways, including as a writer, editor, corporate entertainer, legal comedian, legal writing instructor, and college essay consultant.
Personal
White graduated from The Westminster SchoolsThe Westminster Schools
The Westminster Schools is a private school in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1951 and tracing its origins to 1878, Westminster has the largest endowment of any non-boarding school in the United States...
, a co-educational college preparatory school in Atlanta, Georgia. He obtained a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Government from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, graduating magna cum laude in 1975.
After college, he traveled to Seoul, Korea, where he wrote and edited travel articles for the Korea National Tourism Corporation (later renamed the Korea Tourism Organization
Korea Tourism Organization
The Korea Tourism Organization is a statutory organization of the Republic of Korea under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and is commissioned to promote the country's tourism industry.-Overview:...
), an agency of the Republic of Korea.
The following year he attended Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
, where he obtained a J.D. in 1979. He served as Articles Editor of the Columbia Law Review
Columbia Law Review
The Columbia Law Review is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. In addition to articles, the journal regularly publishes scholarly essays and student notes. It was founded in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who served as the review's first...
, which published his first legal writing, "Pacifica Foundation v. FCC: ‘Filthy Words,’ the First Amendment, and the Broadcast Media," during White’s second year. That article, which discussed a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on comedian George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
’s famous "Seven Dirty Words" monologue, was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in a related ruling.
At Columbia, White was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar and the recipient of the Archie O. Dawson Advocacy Award, which provided clerkships for the study of advocacy at the three levels of the federal judiciary, including a period in the chambers of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
.
White served as law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
to the Hon. Thomas A. Flannery, a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and then joined Hogan & Hartson, where he spent roughly 2 years, 11 months and 4 days. Upon leaving Hogan & Hartson, he devoted approximately four years to promoting his first book, commencing his career as a public speaker and corporate entertainer, and attempting without success to become a screenwriter. For several years White practiced law sporadically with the firm of Ross, Dixon & Masback. Thereafter, for just over a year, White worked as a legal business consultant for the accounting and consulting firm Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
. There he consulted primarily for corporate law departments, where he performed such tasks as a substantive and stylistic overhaul of Exxon's "Guidelines for Use of Outside Counsel."
An extraordinary number of lawyers populate White's family tree. These include his oldest brother, Ben White; his father, Ed White; his Grandfather B.B. Taylor, Sr.; Uncles B.B. Taylor, Jr., and John Taylor; Aunt Mary White; Great Uncle Pettus White; Cousins Pollard White, Lee White, Steve White, Jr., Steve White III, John White, and Amy White.
White now lives with his wife and daughter in Los Angeles, where he continues to work as a professional editor, legal comedian, corporate entertainer, writing tutor for high school and college students, and college essay counselor. In addition, as a legal writing instructor for the Professional Education Group, a Minneapolis-based provider of continuing legal education programs, White puts on seminars for lawyers, paralegals and others across the United States.
Writing
Daniel White's first book, The Official Lawyer’s Handbook, ranked #1 on The Washington Post best seller list and #5 on the Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
national list. On the basis of this book The Washington Post declared White “the legal profession’s court jester” and credited him with having “helped launch the current wave of legal humor.”
This book was re-released in updated form as Still the Official Lawyer’s Handbook, and then released in revised form in Britain, with Philip R. Jenks as co-author.
White’s reputation as a legal humorist was fostered by his other books, especially White’s Law Dictionary, a parody of the classic legal lexicon, Black's Law Dictionary
Black's Law Dictionary
Black's Law Dictionary is the most widely used law dictionary in the United States. It was founded by Henry Campbell Black. It is the reference of choice for definitions in legal briefs and court opinions and has been cited as a secondary legal authority in many U.S...
; Trials and Tribulations – An Anthology of Appealing Legal Humor; and What Lawyers Do – And How To Make Them Work for You, a light-in-tone but essentially substantive book that enjoyed the distinction of becoming a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
White has also written a number of relatively minor volumes, a nonexhaustive list of which includes The Classic Cocktails Book, The Martini, Really Redneck, The Birthday Book, and Horrorscopes.
Less known as a journalist, White has published articles for publications ranging from the American Bar Association Journal to Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
. A number of other publications have carried articles by Daniel R. White, including Of Counsel, Barrister, Medical Meetings, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, The Washington Weekly, Minnesota Law & Politics, Docket (ACCA), Employment Law Strategist, Marketing for Lawyers, and Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report.
Although even less known as a poet, White's epic tribute to legal warriors, "An Ode to Litigation," met with general acclaim when it appared in the National Law Journal, and one of its 32 stanzas is quoted in Jennifer L. Pierce's treatise, Gender Bender Trials: Emotional Lives in Contemporary Law Firms:
My basic goal would be of course, my client's exculpation,
But also, for myself, the other lawyer's subjugation.
So word would spread that nothing but complete humiliation
Awaits the fool who dares to take me on in litigation.
Editing
At the New York Law Publishing Company, where he worked from 1994 to 1996, White served as editor-in-chief and primary writer for Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report, a national newsletter for law firm partners and managers. He served as managing editor of two other national newsletters for lawyers, Employment Law Strategist and Marketing for Lawyers, and edited articles for the National Law Journal.White has also established himself as a freelance editor of non-fiction monographs.
Jokes
Although his roots lie in legal comedy, White has demonstrated a broader range, beginning in 1992-1993, when he served as editor-in-chief of, and primary writer for, Current Comedy, a twice-monthly "Humor Service for Public Speakers & Business Executives" founded by former television gag writer and presidential speechwriter Robert OrbenRobert Orben
Robert Orben is best known as an American professional comedy writer, though he also worked as a speechwriter for Gerald R. Ford and as a magician...
.
White has written jokes for corporate executives and Jay Leno. His parody of Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
's writing style appeared in The Best of Bad Hemingway, an anthology.
Entertaining
White has appeared as a legal humorist on CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, and numerous other television and radio shows across the country. He has been profiled in dozens of publications, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, and the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
.
As a result of this publicity, he came into demand as a public speaker and corporate entertainer. He has addressed bar associations, medical conventions, law firms, and other gatherings across the United States and abroad.
Contrasting himself with lawyers who ridicule the legal profession with "lawyer joke
Lawyer joke
A lawyer joke is a joke, often self-deprecating, about a lawyer or the legal profession. Lawyers when giving a talk, especially to the profession, often employ lawyer jokes as icebreakers....
s" and engage in "lawyer bashing," White has said his jabs are soft-gloved and affectionate, because he is "a member of that union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
," being a lawyer himself and coming from a family of lawyers.