Win a copy below.
A climate change pressure group has targeted lawyers with a satirical children’s book intended to make them rethink their evil career choices.
Serious People is sending copies of Why Daddy’s Law Firm works with the Nice Oil Men to "top oil and gas lawyers across London" today, it told RollOnFriday.
ROF’s been treated to a preview copy and can confirm it’s guaranteed to delight every child of a solicitor in the energy sector. Though mums may feel slighted by the insinuation they don’t get instructions from BP as well.
Recipients expecting a valedictory story of a heroic energy lawyer earning the respect of his offspring will be disappointed. As the blurb explains, “On a chilly winter night, a little penguin dared to wonder: if Daddy loves me, why does his law firm facilitate fossil fuel expansion?”
The book depicts a solicitor penguin getting badgered to change his ways by his idealistic brat of a child, who doesn’t appreciate that although their antarctic habitat may get wiped out if dad carries on taking the oily dollar, the family can afford to relocate thanks to his hard work.
ROF prediction: these will become prized collector's items in energy practices across the land.
A couple of passages stretch credulity, as when the little penguin asks, “Would you help make bombs, or help sell cigars?” and his father claims, “Of course not, that’s taking it too far”.
The solicitor is also depicted with enough free time to put his child to bed (“Good night. Sleep well. Daddy has to get up early to do paperwork for Shell”), imputing an enviable work/life balance which risks tempting lawyers into the oil sector, not encouraging them out of it.
‘You go to an expensive private school in London, my son. Daddy’s tanker leases are nothing compared to what the other parents have done.’
A cheeky book mass-dropped on lawyers represents a change of tactics for climate change campaigners, who previously stormed A&O Shearman’s London office and sprayed fake oil on the windows.
Legal children's books have featured before, however. During the Covid pandemic, offshore law firm Harneys produced an activity book to pump the next generation of tax exiles full of subliminal advertising, and a few years ago ROF unearthed plans around 1st April for numerous firms to release branded versions of kids' classics.
Talking to ROF, Serious People campaigner Jamie Inman suggested there was a "sense of tension between equity partners who are making money off oil and gas work and junior solicitors who may be very uncomfortable with the work, sometimes forced to do it against their preferences and certainly not profiting in any way from it".
“Oil and gas lawyers trade on the ethos and respectability of the wider profession to shirk responsibility for the world they are building”, he said.
Oli Frost, the book's author, said, “Lawyers sometimes tell fairy tales to justify their fossil fuel work. We’re merely helping by having it illustrated and published”.
It remains to be seen how many lawyers will quit after reading Why Daddy’s Law Firm works with the Nice Oil Men, but it could certainly wind up a loved one. To that end, ROF has several copies to give away. Simply email [email protected] with the heading ‘PINGU’ and your suggested title for a sequel. We’ll send books to the best entries, so don’t forget to include an address.
UPDATE: Winners announced, comp over!
Comments
84
18
I had understood women were also permitted to become distastefully wealthy via petrodollars, no?
52
18
Where can I buy a copy?
43
62
Utter woke nonsense, might use these books as toilet paper
94
30
Unfortunately not all of us have inherited wealth like these climate change activists
54
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This is why I only work for the bad oil men who commit human rights abuses.
40
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PINGU and the Selective Application of the Rule of Law
30
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LOL. Good for them. Most top lawyers are pretty greedy tbf.
23
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Nintendo?
Us oil lawyers wouldn't insult our children with that unless enacting punishment.
34
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Goodness me! Imagine what sort of a world we’d create if we started holding people accountable and everyone grew a conscience? Who would want to live in that hellhole, eh?
What you consider naivety in me is just you debasing yourself (and others).
36
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As a lawyer in the energy sector, this is a must add to the book collection!
37
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I hear the sequel explores why Pingu is in the Ep files.
38
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This is absolutely spot on. I cannot believe we live in a society where the illustrators of children's books are not the final arbiters of who has access to legal representation and who does not.
. . . actually I'm just put out because no one sent me a copy.
27
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As an in-house energy lawyer, I hope we aren't forgotten!
24
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“Because Mummy’s firm is too busy working with the porn merchants, sex shops and other reprobates? Or as she likes to call them, the Catholic Church/Tory Party/Labour Party/[insert organisation of distaste here]”
26
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Whatevs. Provided Big Oil are paying my ridiculous hourly rates, I couldn’t care less
16
25
Utter woke nonsense, might use these books as toilet paper.
Ogoni Delta baby. Clue up. Use your Daily Fail instead
21
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Oh dear. Sexist faux pas there.
Oh. Wait. Daddy is trans?
That's alright then.
Now, eat yer, arctic roll, fish-face.
25
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How else can Hyacinth and Jocasta spend time drinking coffees at £8 a pop all day, dreaming up their schemes. Yah!
22
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> Talking to ROF, Serious People campaigner Jamie Inman suggested there was a "sense of tension between equity partners who are making money off oil and gas work and junior solicitors who may be very uncomfortable with the work, sometimes forced to do it against their preferences and certainly not profiting in any way from it".
Lol right. Some of us juniors don't give a sh*t and would love to work for the evil oil men, Peter Mandelson, and all the other figures of darkness. Absolute wet wipes.
22
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Whatever happened to the "cab rank rule"? For a sequel, what about "Why mummy's barristers chambers works for ex-dictators?" Inspired by Doughty Street Chambers...
24
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No one can plan a transition to a green economy without using fossil fuels to get there. Daddy penguin is doing a service.
33
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for a reader at 10:01 to describe the threat posed by anthropogenic climate change as "woke nonsense" is startling for those who studied science. Climate change has been scientifically proven to be caused by human action and in particular the release of previously trapped CO2 I prefer to leave a habitable planet for my kids and grandchildren.
20
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Pah. The nanny's never going to read that tosh to them. Must have my EA get in touch with the wife's PA to execute on that.
13
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When is it being sent to print?
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27 February 17:39
Why not save the Planet and just send the proof copy to the pulper?!
That will save all the entitled and hypocritical set from needing to buy a copy and to need to indulge in embarrassing and demeaning fake laughter and even more pointless wokery?
🤧🤦♂️
19
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Hope Trowers ‘Responsible Business / we value LGBTQ+ colleagues’ Hamlins got one sent to their new Saudi office.
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Anonymous 27 February 26 15:58
"Climate change has been scientifically proven to be caused by human action."
No it hasn't. It is a prevailing opinion approaching religious status, not uncontradicted fact.
17
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Interesting take to target the law firms working on this, rather than er, the oil and gas companies themselves, or perhaps...the consumers buying endless new, oil and gas derived products. No demand for plastic crap or new stuff, and the issue would end. Cry me a river.
Yet to hand in my notice, but thanks.