William A. Brewer III Writes for Texas Lawyer on Shakespeare's "Kill All the Lawyers" Line – and What It Really Means

June 8, 2026 – In a Texas Lawyer commentary, partner William A. Brewer III revisits one of William Shakespeare’s most enduring lines: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

The line, spoken by Dick the Butcher in Henry VI, Part II, is often cited to poke fun at the legal profession – but – as Brewer points out – Shakespeare meant the opposite. Properly understood, the remark is a recognition of the indispensable role lawyers play in preserving accountability, upholding the rule of law, and checking the ambitions of power.

Using Shakespeare's famous line as his frame, Brewer explores a broader question: Why do judges and lawyers so often become targets during periods of political and institutional strain? Drawing on both historical and contemporary examples, he argues that efforts to weaken the rule of law often begin by targeting those charged with defending it: lawyers.

Brewer writes, “Properly understood, this line is not an attack on lawyers – but a compliment – because every revolutionary knows the first step in successfully consolidating power is to undermine the rule of law with the rule of one man.”

Later, he observes, “Power rarely dismantles the law outright. More often, it inches closer to it – almost imperceptibly – in hopes the law adjusts in response.”

Ultimately, Brewer argues that lawyers become targets not because they are expendable, but because they insist that those imbued with political “power” answer to something beyond themselves. “One does not propose to ‘kill all the lawyers’ because they are expendable, but because lawyers are inconvenient to those who prefer power to go unexamined and unchecked.”

Read more here: https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2026/06/08/the-inconvenience-of-lawyers/