“What’s the difference between between a dead lawyer in the road and a dead armadillo in the road? The armadillo has skid marks in front of it!”
 
This “lawyer joke” has been current since at least the 1980s and also involves a pig or a dog or a snake instead of an armadillo (the Texas version).
 
Other popular lawyer jokes include “What do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start” and “An utter waste is defined as a busload of lawyers going over a cliff with three empty seats” and “The problem with lawyer jokes is that lawyers don’t think they’re funny and others don’t think they’re jokes.”
 
   
Legal Help in North Texas
Funny Lawyer Jokes
What’s the difference between a dead armadillo in the road and a dead lawyer in the road?
The armadillo has skid marks in front of it!
   
Google Groups: net.legal
Newsgroups: net.legal
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Documentation )
Date: Thu, 6-Mar-86 16:13:25 EST
Local: Thurs, Mar 6 1986 5:13 pm
Subject: Really Terrific Lawyer Jokes
REALLY TERRIFIC LAWYER JOKE #1:
 
Q: How do you tell the difference between a dead dog laying in the road and a dead lawyer laying in the road?
A: You can tell by the skid marks leading up to the dog.
 
Amazon.com
Skid Marks: Common Jokes About Lawyers (Hardcover)
by Michael Raffery (Author)
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Random House Inc (T) (April 1988)
 
Lawyer Jokes
Date: Thu, 1 Dec 88 22:00:50 CST
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (The Man with No Name)
Subject: Lawyer jokes
   
Q: What’s the difference between a dead dog in the road and a dead lawyer in the road?
A: There are skid marks in front of the dog.
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
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From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Ken Ford)
Date: 5 Aug 90 21:25:03 GMT
Local: Sun, Aug 5 1990 5:25 pm
Subject: Re: Lawyer Jokes Needed!
 
Q:  What’s the difference between a dead lawyer in the road and a dead armadillo in the road?
A:  There are skid marks in front of the armadillo.
   
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From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Mark Smith)
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 21:27:06 GMT
Local: Thurs, Apr 1 1993 5:27 pm
Subject: Re: Lawyer hunting in TX
 
What’s the difference between a dead snake in the road and a dead lawyer in the road?
There are skid marks in front of the snake.
 
This Dog’ll Really Hunt:
An Entertaining and Informative Texas Dictionary
by Wallace O. Chariton
Plano, TX; Republic of Texas Press
1999
Pg. 165:
Lawyer: (...) As we say in Texas, the only difference between a dead lawyer and a dead armadillo laying on the road is skid marks in front of the armadillo.