About: Only Bad Guys Call Their Lawyers   Sponge Permalink

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In crime dramas, when someone is arrested, he is read his Miranda Rights, "You have the right to remain silent," "You have the right to an attorney," etc. It seems, however, that all good, law-abiding citizens are willing to waive their rights and talk to the police without any qualms at all. But as soon as someone demands a lawyer, or refuses to talk without one, you know instantly that he is a sleazeball. Maybe not the one the police are actually seeking, but he is definitely someone of ill repute. This is a subtrope of Artistic License Law. See also Be as Unhelpful as Possible.

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  • Only Bad Guys Call Their Lawyers
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  • In crime dramas, when someone is arrested, he is read his Miranda Rights, "You have the right to remain silent," "You have the right to an attorney," etc. It seems, however, that all good, law-abiding citizens are willing to waive their rights and talk to the police without any qualms at all. But as soon as someone demands a lawyer, or refuses to talk without one, you know instantly that he is a sleazeball. Maybe not the one the police are actually seeking, but he is definitely someone of ill repute. This is a subtrope of Artistic License Law. See also Be as Unhelpful as Possible.
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  • In crime dramas, when someone is arrested, he is read his Miranda Rights, "You have the right to remain silent," "You have the right to an attorney," etc. It seems, however, that all good, law-abiding citizens are willing to waive their rights and talk to the police without any qualms at all. But as soon as someone demands a lawyer, or refuses to talk without one, you know instantly that he is a sleazeball. Maybe not the one the police are actually seeking, but he is definitely someone of ill repute. In fact, this trope is so pervasive that it's Averted just as often as it is played straight. The bad guy may refuse to call his lawyer, just to throw the detectives off his scent. Or someone completely innocent may call his lawyer, simply because he knows his rights. This has no bearing on Real Life. Any Law teacher can tell you that if you're arrested or the police think you committed a crime, you shouldn't talk to them except to ask for a lawyer. In TV Land, only one or two crimes ever happen at the same time, while in reality, there are a lot more. You may want to help the police catch a crook, but in doing so, you may accidentally implicate yourself in another crime, or the same crime. This is a subtrope of Artistic License Law. See also Be as Unhelpful as Possible. Examples of Only Bad Guys Call Their Lawyers include:
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