Do you have to like your client?
It's not news that the economic downturn has hit lawyers. Big firms are laying off people, and new lawyers are having trouble finding jobs. A lot of those people are gravitating to criminal lawyer. There are also those there to profit, so there are plenty of people ready to assist those lawyers find clients. Scott Greenfield has been critical of those, and has not been hesitant to provide advice for those who want to become criminal defense lawyers. His posts should be read by all those who think this is the ticket to easy money.
What does it take to be good criminal defense lawyer? Obviously it's more than a desire to make money. As others have pointed out, the fact is most criminal defense lawyers never get rich. I think you can identify a good criminal defense lawyer by identifying why they decided to practice criminal law. They didn't do it by default because nothing else was available - well, okay maybe some did. Most do it because they truly believe in our criminal justice system. They believe the Bill of Rights means something, and they don't like to see people getting screwed over by the government.
That doesn't mean you always have to like your clients. Just because you represent criminal defendants doesn't mean you are advocating murder, robbery and sexual abuse. You do have to know your client, and try to understand why they did what they did. Many are good people who are caught up in bad situations. Some are just bad people, who choose to prey on others, and There may be nothing to like about them; however, that doesn't deter a good criminal defense lawyer.
In the end, we don't defend clients because we like them. We defend them because there is something more at stake. We are truly the champions of the underdog. No matter who they are, or what they have done, they deserve to be treated fairly and with respect. Often it's those who have done the worst things that need us the most; those are the ones who everyone else is against. Their family and society may have abandoned them; we are the only ones who can stand up for them. If you don't believe in that, then you should be chasing ambulances, or doing something else.
Don't get me wrong - we want to earn a living and support our families. It's about more than the money though. if all you are after is the money, you don't really care what happens to the client. Good lawyers do care though; and they care just as much about someone who pays them $1,000 or $100,000. I'm still working on case on a client who that was executed several years because I want the State to acknowledge what they did.
If you looking to hire a lawyer, don't look for someone who simply tells you what you want to hear, and run away from the lawyer who seems more interested in the fee than the facts - they probably are. Find a lawyer who cares about the justice system - you'll benefit from their passion.
