[March 3, 2023] Scott Johnson of PowerLineBlog.com writes today about lawyer shaming (access his article here). By trade, Scott is a lawyer with plenty of legal experience and understands the quirks of the legal profession.
Scott takes up a progressive problem in America and elsewhere in the West that I noticed but could not untangle. He does an excellent job of articulating what I was thinking. Scott was invited to discuss Minnesota’s “elimination-of-bias” continuing legal education requirement. His article “Bias in the Air” is a damning explanation of what happens when politics overtakes professionalism (link here).
What happens when the courts and the bar undertake politics and public policy in the guise of professional responsibility? Minnesota’s continuing legal education elimination-of-bias requirement offers something of a case study. I think it’s a case study in political correctness and the ideology of “diversity.”
The Federalist Society takes another look at this phenomenon and has a preliminary treat for us to consider.
American lawyers have a proud tradition of representing unpopular clients, but they are increasingly shamed, harassed, and retaliated against for such representation. Lawyer shaming is a growing problem, both within and outside the legal profession.
“Lawyer shaming” has been creeping into the professional ranks for some time now, and the results are not pretty. Theoretically, the rule of law is to be applied to everyone equally. Looking at how the FBI and DOJ have recently treated the Hunter Biden laptop affair and the legal treatment of certain politicians, I think we can conclude that equal application of the law no longer exists within the United States.
The rule of law promises equal justice for all. Fulfilling that promise in our adversarial system requires equal access to effective legal representation for all parties—no matter how unpopular. Indeed, it is usually the unpopular and marginalized that most need zealous advocacy to vindicate their legal rights. Such individuals and groups will remain underserved by the legal profession, however, if lawyers are criticized or targeted for their clients and the arguments made on their behalf. Pressuring lawyers to drop or decline controversial clients reduces the availability of effective counsel, making it harder for courts to get the law and facts right….
Shameful? Yes, of course.
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Please read my books:
One thing not discussed is that todays lawyers are mostly woke and are inveterbrate cowards.
“The rule of law promises equal justice for all. Fulfilling that promise in our adversarial system requires equal access to effective legal representation for all parties—no matter how unpopular.” This is what the political radical leftists are after.
No surprisess here The Observer. This is the heart of those that Gen. Satterfield is highlighting today. 👍
General, another top-notch blog post. This is sad.
Any lawyer jokes?
40 Hilarious Lawyer Jokes That’ll Have You Rolling
https://inspirationfeed.com/lawyer-jokes/
Someone mistakenly left the cages open in the Reptile House at the zoo, and snakes were slithering all over the place. Frantically, the keeper tried everything but couldn’t get the slippery animals back into their cages. Finally, he yelled, “Quick, call a lawyer!” “A lawyer? Why?” “We need someone who speaks their language.”
Thanks Fronteir Man for a quick laugh. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
LOL
Thanks to Gen. Satterfield, I’ve become a new fan of PowerLineBlog.com. It is refreshing to read some real logic when it comes to problems and the writers -there are 3 of them – they give some very practical advice. Most of them, I believe, are lawyers and high quality professionals. I highly recommend their website for your reading pleasure. 👍
““Lawyer shaming” has been creeping into the professional ranks for some time now, and the results are not pretty. Theoretically, the rule of law is to be applied to everyone equally. ” – Gen. Satterfield. I think this is the argument many of our leaders are making about the gross incompetence of the FBI.
Right. Read this recent article by Gen. Satterfield, “The FBI in Decline: Agent Bryce’s Opinion”
https://www.theleadermaker.com/the-fbi-in-decline-agent-bryces-opinion/
I no longer listen to what people say, I just watch what they do. Behavior never lies. – Winston Churchill
An excellent article by Gen. Satterfield, no surprise there. ❤️
Not suprised here at all. This has been going on a long time now and lawyers are not the only ones.
I think Gen. Satterfield should discuss how this is happening or not with military soldiers.
But some lawyers are so bad …. ambulance chasers …. that maybe they should be shamed.
Gen. Satterfield has a different concept here, Guns. Scott Johnson makes it clear that the ‘lawyer shaming’ is killing the idea of equal legal representation of the accused. This is the bedrock of our legal system in the West. Just because a client has done something bad, does not mean the lawyer is at fault. Besides, that is often why blacks were given such long jail sentences long ago because lawyers did not want to represent them. Today’s political shaming is a serious problem.
Very well put, Max. That is a real issue we should be dealing with in the open so all can see what is going on.