Build Your Own Lawsuit With A "Lawgo" Set

I only just learned of this (nearly one year old) article at Legal Cheek, but I thought it was worth sharing. Legal Cheek reports:

A Canadian law firm has taken the fun and exciting world of Lego and made it more tedious — by producing a civil litigation version of the hit toy. 

In what appears to be a marketing stunt — or is it a new line of business? — Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LPP, or JSS Barristers for short, has created a Lego-themed “Litigation Action Pack” called ‘Lawgo’ (pictured above). 

The boutique civil litigation firm, based in the Canadian city of Calgary, has even produced a toy barrister with accompanying robes and a court bench. The figures are recommended for those between 18 and 99 years of age.

A picture of the Lawgo set is available at Legal Cheek's website.

Interestingly, the Lawgo set is recommended for people between 18-99 years old, suggesting that the toy is meant as a gag gift for lawyers or those about to practice law. This is a shame, since it would be nice to see younger children inspired to join a profession that is even more admirable than the Jedi Order.

Legal Cheek hopes that the law firm marketing the Lawgo set obtained permission from Lego, as otherwise the Lawgo set will run into trademark problems, particularly as a result of its logo. On the other hand, even if the firm did not obtain permission, Lego may be too afraid to sue a firm that is so obsessed with the law that they created such a product in the first place. Since I could not locate news of any lawsuits against the firm marketing the Lawgo set in the year since the product was released, I will assume that one of the theories above is true. On the other hand, I could not find any links to purchase Lawgos on the firm's website, so maybe things did not go as smoothly as hoped.

Finally, while I generally approve of products that make the practice of law more approachable or even whimsical, I am also concerned that the Lawgo product could increase negative attitudes towards lawyers. In particular, there are few feelings that are more unpleasant than stepping on a Lego (see, e.g.: this), and I worry that stepping on a similar law-themed object may compound negative feelings toward attorneys. Hopefully, people unfortunate enough to step on a Lawgo will keep their negative feelings confined to the universe of small plastic objects rather than letting their feelings spill over to the legal community.

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