Art insisted on a plea in abatement of the charge. He asserted that he was a foreign lawyer within the jurisdiction to defend the civil liberties of a citizen, and therefore immune from arrest. The authority for this proposition was an act of the British Parliament, incorporated in the common law of Minnesota when it became a state. He hadn' t the citation at hand, but he had learned of the law in Maynard Pirsig's class and was sure he would confirm it. The judge retired to chambers to call Professor Pirsig, who said he recalled the law, and while he wasn't sure it still applied, he was of the view that if it weren't the law it ought to be.
Many lawyers suffer from mental and emotional illnesses, and from alcohol and chemical dependencies.
Studies show that lawyers have the highest incidence of depression of any occupation. As many as one-fourth of surveyed lawyers exhibit symptoms of clinical depression, more than twice the incidence in the general population. The ABA has estimated that nearly one-fifth of all U.S. lawyers suffer from alcohol or substance abuse, more than three times the incidence in the general population. The effects of these illnesses are not limited to the impaired lawyers. Families, friends and associates share the pain, and clients and the public are often harmed.