Writing
Daniel White's first book,
The Official Lawyer’s Handbook, ranked #1 on
The Washington Post best seller list and #5 on the
Publishers Weekly national list. On the basis of this book
The Washington Post declared White “the legal profession’s court jester” and credited him with having “helped launch the current wave of legal humor.”
This book was re-released in updated form as
Still the Official Lawyer’s Handbook, and then released in revised form in Britain, with Philip R. Jenks as co-author.
White’s reputation as a legal humorist was fostered by his other books, especially
White’s Law Dictionary, a parody of the classic legal lexicon,
Black's Law Dictionary;
Trials and Tribulations — An Anthology of Appealing Legal Humor; and
What Lawyers Do — And How To Make Them Work for You, a light-in-tone but essentially substantive book that enjoyed the distinction of becoming a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
White has also written a number of relatively minor volumes, a nonexhaustive list of which includes
The Classic Cocktails Book, The Martini, Really Redneck, The Birthday Book, and
Horrorscopes.Less known as a journalist, White has published articles for publications ranging from the
American Bar Association Journal to
Cosmopolitan. A number of other publications have carried articles by Daniel R. White, including
Of Counsel, Barrister, Medical Meetings, the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, The Washington Weekly, Minnesota Law & Politics, Docket (ACCA), Employment Law Strategist, Marketing for Lawyers, and
Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report.Although even less known as a poet, White's epic tribute to legal warriors, "An Ode to Litigation," met with general acclaim when it appared in the
National Law Journal, and one of its 32 stanzas is quoted in Jennifer L. Pierce's treatise,
Gender Bender Trials: Emotional Lives in Contemporary Law Firms:
My basic goal would be of course, my client's exculpation,But also, for myself, the other lawyer's subjugation.So word would spread that nothing but complete humiliationAwaits the fool who dares to take me on in litigation.
Editing
At the New York Law Publishing Company, where he worked from 1994 to 1996, White served as editor-in-chief and primary writer for
Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report, a national newsletter for law firm partners and managers. He served as managing editor of two other national newsletters for lawyers,
Employment Law Strategist and
Marketing for Lawyers, and edited articles for the
National Law Journal.
White has also established himself as a freelance editor of non-fiction monographs.
Jokes
Although his roots lie in legal comedy, White has demonstrated a broader range, beginning in 1992-1993, when he served as editor-in-chief of, and primary writer for,
Current Comedy, a twice-monthly "Humor Service for Public Speakers & Business Executives" founded by former television gag writer and presidential speechwriter Robert Orben.
White has written jokes for corporate executives and Jay Leno. His parody of Ernest Hemingway's writing style appeared in
The Best of Bad Hemingway, an anthology.
Entertaining
White has appeared as a legal humorist on CNN, CBS, NPR, and numerous other television and radio shows across the country. He has been profiled in dozens of publications, including
The New York Times,
The Washington Post,
Time magazine, and the
International Herald Tribune.
As a result of this publicity, he came into demand as a public speaker and corporate entertainer. He has addressed bar associations, medical conventions, law firms, and other gatherings across the United States and abroad. Daniel R. White, Esq. - Professional Education Group, Inc
Contrasting himself with lawyers who ridicule the legal profession with "lawyer jokes" and engage in "lawyer bashing," White has said his jabs are soft-gloved and affectionate, because he is "a member of that union," being a lawyer himself and coming from a family of lawyers.
Teaching