The houses of lawyers are roofed with the skins of litigants.
This is a ‘Welsh proverb’ of traditional folk origin.
The saying is a biting piece of social criticism. It means that lawyers grow rich and build their prosperity ‘at the direct expense of their clients’ (the litigants). The image is deliberately visceral: just as a house is roofed with animal skins (a material of value derived from something else’s suffering), a lawyer’s wealth and comfort are built from the losses, ruin, and suffering of the very people who came to them for help.
In short: ’those who seek justice through the courts often end up financing the lawyer’s comfortable life, not their own.’
Broader context:
It sits alongside a whole tradition of international legal proverbs that share the same cynical view of the legal profession, such as:
– “A lawsuit is a fruit-tree planted in a lawyer’s garden.” — Italian
– “Go to law for a sheep and lose your cow.” — German
– “The hands of a lawyer are always in someone’s pocket.” — Indian
Key takeaway:
The proverb is less about dishonesty and more about a structural reality: litigation is expensive, slow, and unpredictable for the client — but reliably profitable for the lawyer regardless of the outcome. The Welsh gave this eternal complaint one of its most vivid and memorable formulations.
Author: There is no single named author. It belongs to the rich tradition of popular wisdom passed down anonymously across generations in Wales.
A wet January, a wet spring. A warm January, a cold May.
Conclusion: This weather proverb emphasizes the connection between different seasons and weather conditions. It is a beautiful example of how people in the past tried to understand and predict the weather based on natural observations. 🌦️📅
