Harry Reid's comments on my profession.

[goobermunch]

Nobody likes trial lawyers until they need them.

Then, we become weapons. Business people sometimes joke with each other, saying “My lawyer can beat your lawyer.” It might be funny, but it’s no joke.

In the general public’s view, we are the weapons of the ruling class. Weapons with which to devastate anyone – or anything – blocking the path to domination. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Weapons we may be, but weapons with highly effective safeties; the safety mechanisms of the bar, the cannons of ethics, and above all, our own sense of justice and honor. Weapons indeed, not assault weapons, but rather a sword and shield – a shield to defend the meek, the poor, the powerless, the victimized. These are not empty words.

You know, nobody likes trial lawyers.

Nobody who addicts children to tobacco; nobody who puts lead in paint; nobody who pumps mercury into groundwater; nobody who sells improperly tested pharmaceuticals.

Nobody likes trial lawyers.

Nobody who ignores worker safety in factories; nobody who manufactures a faulty airbag, knowing it’s dangerous; nobody who puts asbestos into the environment.

Nobody likes trial lawyers.

Nobody who pollutes the earth and skies; nobody who produces contaminated food; nobody who pedals lethal baby cribs or toys; nobody who negligently operates offshore oil wells.

Nobody likes trial lawyers… until they need one.

The average person has never needed a trial lawyer, and, for the most part, they don’t know what we do. The Chamber of Commerce paints us as a group that impedes personal freedom, fabricates problems that don’t exist, and enriches the undeserving.

Other people see us as tools for corporate interests, and believe we’re used to manipulate the system in their favor. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, just the opposite is true.

We are champions, used to defend the meek, the poor, the powerless, the victimized. We do battle with those who would, otherwise, oppress with impunity.

These are not empty words. I loved work as a lawyer. I had over a hundred trials, and the greatest compliment I ever received was when someone said my work was “lawyerlike.”

Nobody likes trial lawyers until they need one. Nobody likes trial lawyers until they are the ones who have been injured, hurt, taken advantage of, or threatened by those in power.

We are protectors of the downtrodden.

We are protectors of those not knowing what to do.

We are protectors of those that are afraid.

We are everyday men and women who work hard, play by the rules, and who often take tremendous chances, investing years of our lives in pursuit of justice for a client scorned and ignored by the rich and powerful. We are people who believe in the equal justice promised by our Constitution, in the rules of law envisioned by our Declaration of Independence, and in its core promise that everyone is indeed, created equal with rights to life and liberty, which cannot be ignored or taken away.

Nobody likes trial lawyers – but they damn well should. And not just when they need one.

Comments

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

I used to believe a lot of uninformed nonsense about lawyers and the legal system; knowing you has taught me better, which I am glad for.

[thedragonweaver.livejournal.com]

Even the much maligned defense attorneys are important. "How can you defend a guilty client?" is the big stumbling block for many people. I saw one response that was brilliant—the defense attorney is the person who makes sure that due process is followed, that the regulations are kept, that the rules are followed, and basically, nobody goes to jail just because people knew he was guilty, so they didn't bother to collect the evidence properly, evidence which might have exonerated him. Defense attorneys keep the rest of the legal structure honest.