Originally from Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation

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It is one of the oldest lawyer jokes in the book, and its punchline is about to change.

Remember the New Yorker cartoon, in which a lawyer and the client sit at a table, and the lawyer assesses the client’s legal problem? “You have a pretty good case,” the lawyer informs him, “How much justice can you afford?”

The client’s response is unvoiced in the cartoon, but moving beyond the punchline, one can imagine the client’s heart sinking, realizing that he may not be able to afford all the justice he needs, or any justice at all.