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NJ Lawyer Magazine Article on Attorneys Who Became . -~a""'=- m- anci I '~' ,' e~.. ~ 'ca:\ BIDlnttdIi1lI.'laY8JA INovelA lGaI(JhJ 'f(OJr.1l1li UhRJI NEW JERSEYLAWYER IDecember 2007 31 qK CITY , I , \ Why is it a popular career move for attorneys to become stand-up comedians? Other professions don't have similar career chang~s-there isn't a preponderance of dentists who become jazz trumpeters, for example. Subway motormen don't often become tap dancers. ut Al Lubel left trial law for the stage, win- just finished touring the country performing with his stand- ning "Star Search" and appearing on "The up comedy troupe Axis of Evil, a group of professional come- Tonight Show" with both Johnny Carson dians with Middle-Eastern ancestry, The group was recently and Jay Leno, and Dan Naturman went featured on their own C<?medyCentral special. The son of a directly from Fordham University's School of Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother, Obeidallah says that Law to New York's comedy circuit. Natur- on Sept. 11, 2001, he went from being a white guy to being man, who recently made his second appearance on the Letter- an Arab, which didn't particularly make air travel easy for man show, has also appeared on "Late Night with Conan him, but did give him more notoriety as a comic. O'Brien," and has had his own special on Comedy Central. Is there something particular about stand-up comedy that Jeff Kreisler,another lawyer turned stand-up comedian and attracts people from the practice of law, or is it simply that comedy writer, recently won the Bill Hicks Spirit Award for law and comedy have similar skill sets? Is structuring a joke Thought-Provoking Comedy at the New York Underground a bit like structuring a legal argument? You put down a Comedy Festival. Karen Bergreen also left corporate law for bunch of facts directing people to a conclusion, and then you the stage. In addition to making regular appearances at top make a wrong turn to a faulty conclusion, or a punch line, in New York City comedy clubs, Bergreen teaches comedy, to order to prove your point. Courtroom theatrics may look children. Maybe some of these children will skip law school good on TV, but it's often just emphasizing the law, or the and go straight into comedy, as did comedian Jill Twiss, who facts of the case, that wins. There's very little pounding the decided a few days before law school that she would be better table. And similarly in stand-up comedy-it's stating the evi- suited to making people laugh. And she does, appearing fre- dence, telling the story, making the observation, that leads to quently at comedy clubs in New York City, upstate New York the funny conclusion. and in her former home state of South Dakota. Perhaps, too, it's the Professor Charles Kingsfield factor Dean Obeidallah went from law to stand-up comedy and from "The Paper Chase"-students choose law school because 32 NEWJERSEYLAWYER IDecember 2007 they think they're smarter than the pro- can become a comedian, all can reap seen. For the first time, I think the idea fessors and will easily be able to defend the benefit of the career change of of creating something from nothing and themselves during the abuse we've all some of their ex-colleagues. seeing people react cwas exciting and been led to expect when we show up on Following are interviews I conducted appealing to me. As I was writing, I day one. Similarly, comedians are often with attorney-comedians Paul Mecurio, started thinking about performing. So, just one step ahead of the audience-we Karen Bergreen and Don Petersen: I'd sneak out of work at night to dive know where the joke is going, so it's no bars in New York City on open-mike surprise to us, just to the audience, until PaulMecurio nights, because that's where you can get we lead them th~re. Every time the audi- A graduate of Georgetown University work at the beginning. I'd sneak out, ence laughs it's like getting an opposing Law School, Paul worked as a corporate then go back to work on M&A transac- witness to recant on cross. An applause attorney for Willkie Farr & Gallagher in tions. It got nerve-wracking because break is like having the judge threaten New York, and as an investment banker deals would blow up and I'd get back, to hold opposing counsel in contempt. for CS First Boston. As a comedian he's smelling of beer and cigarette smoke Appearing on "The Tonight Show with made dozens of national television and the senior partner would be yelling. Jay Leno" or "Late Show with David Let- I'd claim I was in a conference room on terman?" That's like making partner. Every time the audience a conference call, but I smelled like a Plus, we get paid for it. It's a great bar. One night I was at a downtown bar way to make a living, although it does laughs it's like getting an in New York City called Downtown take a number of years before a comedi- opposing witness to Beirut 2-a real dive, with drug pushers, an's income reaches even a first-year recant on cross. An pimps-and a drunk patron got s]ashed. associate's starting salary. Of course first- I opened with "Nice to be here at Down- year associates have to wear business applause break is like town Beirut 2, I always wanted to follow suits, and may have to put up with abu- having the judge threaten a slashing," and the guy who got cut sive senior partners, whereas comedi- threw bloody napkins at me. At the time, ans, even if we suffer from the to hold opposing counsel I would take off my jacket and tie on the occasional heckler (and it's less com- in contempt. Appearing on way t~ the club then get re-dressed in a mon, and less tolerated than you think), cab going back to the office. My boss we get to retaliate. Whether it's facing a "TheTonight Show with ~aw my bloody shirt and wanted to cold, unfriendly audience or just a Jay Leno" or "Late Show know what happened-remember he didn't know I'd left the office. I told him plain, old-fashioned, drunk heckler, with David Letterman?" possessing the microphone as well as I was working oner VERYhostile merger years of experience gives us the upper That's like making partner. deal. hand. Unlike lawyers, comics almost Shaun: Do you -talk about law on always win. And there are no ethical appearances and has won an Emmy and stage? rules against comedians dating clients. a Peabody for his writing on "The Daily Paul:Yeah, I do, I talk about what it For more than 20 years, Jay Leno has Show" with Jon Stewart. was like. I didn't hate the law, I had a been happily married to a woman he Shaun: When did you start perform- great experience at my firm, worked on met in a comedy club. ing? fun deals, was given a lot of responsibil- One thing that many attorney- Paul: 1996. I was doing banking but ity at a young age, I just got drawn to comedians have in common is that had a real pull to try stand-up full-time, comedy. It was a hard decision. I had their material might be a bit more so I was arranging to do comedy full- security, but then all of a sudden I'm intellectual than typical comedian fod- time, I sold my New York City apart- gonna give all this up. This was not a der. Another thing many-such as ment and started to live the life of a negative reaction to anything I did as a Bergreen, Kreisler and Naturman- struggling comic. lawyer at all. I grew up middle-class, so have in common, is that they attended Shaun:What made you decide to try being a lawyer was a great thing for me. Ivy League schools and have been fea- comedy? Shaun: Did you talk about law when tured in the Ivy League Comedy Show- Paul: I sold some jokes to Jay Leno, you started out and were still working as caseSM, a show I put together and got taken by seeing him perform an attorney? specifically to promote smart, clean my jokes on "The Tonight Show"-it Paul:No, I was living a secret life, and comedy. So while not every attorney was the most powerful thing I'd ever I didn't want to alienate the other NEW JERSEYLAWYER IDecember 2007 33 comics, didn't want struggling artists to logical thing to do. Parents are parents, dy Central's "Tough Crowd" with Colin think I was just some rich dude, and I and they worry about you. Quinn. She's a frequent performer at didn't want the people at the law firm to Shaun:And what do they say now? New York City's top comedy clubs, and think I wasn't serious. My girlfriend, now Paul:Now, with the success and "The a much-sought-after emcee, as well as a my wife, didn't know either. I didn't Daily Show" and the Emmy, when my regular feature, in the Ivy League Com- want to tell anybody, but the people on mother saw the Emmy Award she was edy,Showcase. Wall Street, the lawyers, were the coolest really impressed and people would Shaun: When did you start perform- about my decision.
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