Law School = Drugs, Alcohol, and Gay Marriage [Eugene]

Orientation is mercifully almost over. I had an interesting workshop this morning that dealt with the legal profession and substance abuse. Apparently I am about the enter a profession that has a disproportionate number of drug and alcohol abusers. Very encouraging. 

Anyways... the president of the NYC Lawyers Assistant Program (LAP) spoke to my section in great detail about his personal struggles with drugs and alcohol. Apparently he would represent drug dealers in the South Bronx, and he would subsequently get paid in product. After a while, when he was really strapped for cash and with a worsening addiction, he began stealing from his clients. Yikes! Perhaps a counter example to the lawyer = Superman analogy John brought up last week. 

In my faculty seminar section this week, we have been reading and discussing several cases dealing with engagement rings (who gets the ring in the event of no wedding?) Yesterday, the professor gave everyone a new hypothetical case to read and analyze and today we had a little mock court section. The hypothetical case changed several facts from the actual cases we read, most notably that the engagement ring was given from one woman, Cathy, to another, Tara. I know its Manhattan, and I realize this is a northeast law school, but is it so much to ask that I survive 2 days without having gay marriage thrown in my face??? Guess not.   

Body Guard? Orientation: Day 2

Second day of orientation went great! I had two lectures and began my Lawyering Skills class. Many subjects were brought up but one in particular really caught my ear...

What is a lawyer? Everyone has their own opinions. Black's Law Dictionary says that a lawyer is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." However, it never mentioned what is our job. Today, I heard our job summed up as follows:

"Our job is to put our body in between our client and those that will do them harm"

When I first heard this description it seemed like I was a bodyguard or "Superman" protecting the innocent. However, the more I thought about it, being a "Superman" figure is not so far fetched. Lawyers have an obligation to their client, no matter what the client has done, to protect them from outside entities that would cause them harm no matter if they act in self-interests or the interests of society. In our professionalism lecture today, we discussed this obligation and its relationship to the client-attorney privilege. The professor's argument was that this obligation is both ethically and morally important; lawyers need to act in their clients best interest, even if it might lead to the court finding a murderer "not-guilty." I tend to agree that we must uphold this relationship no matter the circumstances, but instead of telling you why, I would love to hear from you, the readers. What is your opinion on this issue?