Joking At The Levers Of Power: Lawyer Comedian Runs For Governor

// Tired of using your JD to work for the man at some firm? Consider the wide berth of gigs the JD Advantage can give you. You could be a TikTok star, an opera singer, you could get thee to a nunnery — the options are endless. For his pivot, Jon Bramnick plans on running for Governor of NJ. But he’s not just running on the Republican bill, he’s running as the funniest lawyer. From Gothamist:

[B]ramnick, who is also a state senator, may be about to become the funniest candidate for governor in New Jersey. He says he will formally announce his run for the Republican primary in an appearance at the Stress Factory Comedy Club in New Brunswick later this month.

He has long liked to mix his politics with comedy, regularly performing stand-up at the Stress Factory, and at conventions and political events.

“The one I start off with. I go, ‘I’m a New Jersey politician, I’m a state senator, so you can trust everything I’m about to tell you.’ That always gets a laugh,” Bramnick said.

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There’s even proof of his legal punch-lining. The joke about defending a murderer was a bit DOA, but the setup has potential:

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Even if there are Jersey lawyers with a better set than him — and judging by this clip there have to be — Bramnick’s title is secure in the way that matters: legally speaking. After winning the competition three years in a row in the 1980s, it was cancelled shortly thereafter. To strip the title from him you’d have to revive the competition and that would take a hell of a lot of work.

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Despite that, maybe he should give it up anyway? It’s a nice title, don’t get me wrong, but aren’t there any other accolades you can lead with? I respect winning a comedy competition about as much as I respect completing a triathlon, but if I saw a candidate resting on a couple of awards they won 4 decades ago, I wouldn’t give resting on those laurels too much credit.

In his defense, Bramnick is still hitting the comedy circuit. You can find out more about his touring schedule at, you guessed it: FunniestlawyerinNewJersey.com. If you’re looking to make a quick buck, I recommend you snag FunniestLawyerGovernorInNJ.com before he does and try to sell it back to him if he wins. Good luck with that though, NJ hasn’t had a Republican governor since 2009. Go Eagles.

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Jon Bramnick, The ‘Funniest Lawyer In New Jersey’ Takes His Schtick To The Governor’s Race [Gothamist]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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Funniest Lawyer, Jon Bramnick