Burger Hits ‘Shyster’ Lawyer Advertising

Retired Chief Justice Warren E. Burger on Friday scolded lawyers who engage in “shyster advertising.”

Speaking to the American Inns of Court lawyers group, Burger denounced lawyers he said “seem bent on turning the practice of law into a trade or business, like selling groceries, automobiles or real estate.”

Burger, who stepped down in 1986, has long opposed lawyers advertising. Today, he said: “The most disturbing aspect of lawyer advertising is on television, and the shyster advertising that is going on almost every day . . . is something that should make our profession hang its head in shame.”