| |
| META TOPICPARENT | name="FirstPaper" |
|---|
| |
<
< | Relationships within the Law | >
> | A Working Relationship | | | -- By NithinKumar | |
<
< | Lawyers manage a wide range of professional relationships, from fellow attorneys to clients to judges. Yet, while all lawyers manage these types of relationships, the nature and quality of these relationships differ vastly depending on the area of the law and the type of practice. Having yet to enter the professional world, I want to give some thought to what healthy, mutually-beneficial relationships in the law look like, and how this should inform my decision in choosing a career. | >
> | Lawyers manage a range of professional relationships with fellow attorneys, clients, judges and a variety of other people. Yet, while all lawyers manage these types of relationships, the nature and quality of these relationships differ vastly depending on the area of the law and the type of practice. Having yet to enter the professional world, I want to give some thought to what healthy, mutually-beneficial relationships in the law look like, and how this should inform my decision in choosing a career. | | | No Connection, No Justice | |
<
< | While working at the San Francisco D.A.'s office, I learned that the relationship between the prosecutor and the defense attorney was an important one; by this channel of communication, issues could be dealt with in ways that might prove impossible during actual court proceedings. However, because so much of their jobs depended on their relationship with the prosecutor, public defenders rarely placed much importance on building meaningful relationships with their clients. | >
> | While working at the San Francisco D.A.'s office, I learned that the relationship between the prosecutor and the defense attorney was an important one. By this channel of communication, issues could be dealt with in ways that might prove impossible during actual court proceedings. However, because so much of their jobs depended on their relationship with the prosecutor, public defenders rarely placed much importance on building meaningful relationships with their clients. | | | | |
<
< | This lack of client connection had disturbing consequences that I witnessed first-hand. Once, when a prosecutor was especially angry with a public defender for not answering her phone calls, she pushed the court to delay his clients' next hearing to inconvenience his schedule. I remember stealing glances at the defendant who had no idea he was going to sit in jail for an extra week because his lawyer pissed of my boss. Not only was I ashamed to have played a role in the outrageous injustice that both lawyers seemingly ignored, but I was shocked by the public defender's nonchalant attitude toward his client's suffering. His lack of relationship with his client ensured that he would feel no pain when his client spent an extra week in the county jail. His lack of relationship with his client meant that he had no reason to debase himself by groveling for the prosecutor's forgiveness. Thus, the lack of a meaningful relationship with a client can engender the type of disgusting, de-humanizing behavior that I want to fervently avoid in my own practice. Maintaining a genuine connection with clients ensures that attorneys remain faithful to their obligation to advocate for their clients. | >
> | This lack of client connection had disturbing consequences that I witnessed first-hand. Once, when a prosecutor was especially angry with a public defender for not answering her phone calls, she pushed the court to delay his clients' next hearing to inconvenience his schedule. I remember stealing glances at the defendant who had no idea he was going to sit in jail for an extra week because his lawyer pissed of my boss. I was ashamed to have played a role in a legal system that could allow such an outrageous injustice. But I was even more outraged by the public defender's nonchalant attitude toward his client's suffering. His lack of relationship with his client ensured that he would never contemplate actually spending an extra week in the county jail. Neither was he going to debase himself by groveling for the prosecutor's forgiveness. The public defender did not extend the courtesy of treating his client like a human being, but everyone acted like he was doing his job. In my opinion, a career should not be spent pretending to help people. Maintaining a genuine connection with clients ensures that attorneys remain faithful to their obligation to advocate for their clients. | | | | |
<
< | A similar disconnect occurs between lawyers and clients in large law firms. The average law firm associate has little or no personal connection with his or her client; however, unlike the public defender who can't be bothered to protect his criminal client, law firm associates slave endless hours, vindicating the rights of a clients who they did not choose to represent nor necessarily want to. Though I have not walked in their shoes, I doubt that many law firm associates feel personally tied to the interests of their clients. Yet, it is important to me that I have a personal stake in the work I do – not only for motivational purposes, but also so that I feel satisfied with the consequences I bring about. Therefore, building strong relationships with clients are important not just to ensure adequate representation, but also because it is more satisfying to achieve goals that I am personally invested in rather than the goals of a distant client with whom I have no meaningful relationship. | >
> | A similar disconnect occurs between lawyers and clients in large law firms. The average law firm associate has little or no personal connection with his or her client; however, unlike the public defender who can't be bothered to protect his criminal client, law firm associates slave endless hours, vindicating the rights of a clients who they did not choose to represent nor necessarily want to represent. Though I have not walked in their shoes, I doubt that many law firm associates feel personally tied to the interests of their clients. It is important to have a personal stake in the work one does; not only for motivational purposes, but also to feel satisfied with the consequences the work will bring about. Building strong relationships with clients is important not just to ensure adequate representation, but also because it is more satisfying to me to achieve goals that I am personally invested in rather than the goals of a distant client with whom I have no meaningful relationship. | | | A Place to Grow |
|