Friday, March 05, 2010

Change What You Want

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they will be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6

There are criminal defense attorneys who grow despondent because their clients have not the smallest shred of gratitude for all their efforts.  Public defenders are especially prone to this, since they are subjected to daily abuse by both clients and the families of clients.  Despite the fact that even young public defenders are already highly experienced litigators and negotiators -- far more so than some lawyers in private practice -- they are viewed as inferior goods by a clientele that does not pay them, and therefore has no yardstick by which to measure the value of the services they are getting.  Many public defender clients actually believe that public defenders are not real lawyers, and do not hesitate to apprise their court-appointed counsel of this fact.

So if you are a criminal defense attorney, and you want praise and plaudits from your clients, and you're thinking of throwing in the towel just because you're not getting them, then here is the solution: 

CHANGE WHAT YOU WANT.

Seriously.  Listen to the voice of experience.

Your problem is not that you aren't getting what you want; your problem is that what you want is wrong.  

Until you start wanting what is right, you can never hope to find satisfaction in this or any other line of work.

3 comments:

  1. It took me a while to figure this one out. When I expected my clients to automatically adore and respect me, I was inevitably disappointed and even angry at them. It only got worse when I tried to convince them to respect me. Once I understood that their mistrust was natural--even a healthy mistrust of anything supplied by the government--I got a lot happier, and so, ironically, did my clients.

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  2. Carol, there is certainly nothing like hankering after the impossible to set the stage for a life of misery. Thank you for affirming me on this. All you despondent defense lawyers out there: listen to TWO voices of experience!

    And here's some more food for thought. Jesus, who is God, and therefore goodness itself, was hated, mocked, despised, ridiculed -- and still is. We who are far inferior should not expect better.

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  3. Public Pretenders.

    That is the name given to Maricopa County lawyers that represent indigent clients.

    I have attended Court hearings and have seen the pitiful manner in which poor clients are represented.

    I am advocating a Federal takeover of Maricopa County Courts in much the same manner the Federal Courts are now running California's Prison System.

    There are only a handful of really good Criminal Defense Lawyers that are within the average joe's affordability.

    Some Lawyers actually do give a care; the majority are in it for the bucks only. They are descendants of snake oil salesmen.

    Here is the rule of thumb for Lawyers:

    A good Lawyer knows the law; a great Lawyer is a Freemason Lodge Brother of the Judge.

    *

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