&gt; <i>But there&#x27;s also a question of, how much of a lawyer&#x27;s job involves being friendly with the judge?</i><p>&gt; <i>I&#x27;d expect a lawyer to know the true answer to that, independently of whether or not [she thinks] lawyers are a net good.</i><p>A lot depends on your relationship with that lawyer. If they&#x27;re your brother or wife, or your long-time friend, then you&#x27;d probably get the true answer. If they&#x27;re just a colleague, you&#x27;d probably get the official answer.