LAWYERS CAN LAuGH TOO

Lawyers wanting to lighten up the mood in their offices can head to this store for curios and knick-knacks with a wicked side

For those who say lawyers can’t enjoy a joke, this little store will be a revelation. A chance for the judicial fraternity to spice up their office spaces and lighten up otherwise grim office rooms, here are curios abundant with jokes and paraphernalia to display the bright and funny side these professionals might have. That was the intention when the three-decade old M & J Services store in Fort decided to make a difference to their legal, accounting and tax-oriented bookshop and make room for articles that might appeal to lawyers and their clients to exchange a few laughs. “Lawyers or clients never had a place to buy such gifts. Now here we have articles which are not needed but you still like to buy them,” says Vidyut Shah, whose grandfather had started the shop at Dadar in 1973. The concept emerged when a customer once came looking for the autobiography of a judge to gift to his lawyer. “So I thought, why not get other stuff that will satisfy and simplify the needs of such customers who are struggling to find a gift,” Shah reveals. The shop now displays mugs, clocks, cushions, plates, cufflinks, neckties, cushions, frames, gavel and block among others with most of them sporting courtroom jokes and cartoons to lighten the mood. Shah first implemented the idea three months ago at their new store on Homi Mody Street, Fort. He initially imported most of the articles from a UK-based company run by an advocate. Since importing was an expensive proposition, he is now getting all his curios made either in Mumbai or Bangalore. He has also bought some copyrights from UK to use in his frames. He recalls how cufflinks with writings like “no win no fee” got sold in a jiffy. Even the women’s bar room at the Bombay High Court had purchased a few frames to decorate the rooms, he says. “It gives a very good touch to a lawyer’s office as it catches peoples’ attention,” says advocate Rishabh Shah, who has bought a few articles. “They’ve come up with a good concept as many think that lawyers are serious and have no artistic touch.” The sale of articles has been steady but not fast. “We’re not planning to get any new stuff for the moment,” he says. “As a lawyer I think it is pretty good. They are adding a touch of humour into a lawyer’s usually monotonous life. That’s the reason why I took a look around,” says legal counsel Saveena Sachar. Among the funny writings on the frames and mugs are “Everyone gets along so well here that all conflicts are resolved quickly and easily.” Or, for the bolder ones: “I can only please one client per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn’t look good either”.