Thread: -The Docket-

There's one thing that I have learned about the legal profession, which is a major irritant for me. During my years at law school, the professors always attempted to instill in each of us, that law, as a profession, must be client oriented. What the professors meant by this is simply that, as lawyers, each and everyone one of us were supposed to act with the utmost integrity towards our clients, and even opposing counsel. Of course, such notions are rather Utopian in their outlook and are thereby unobtainable in the real world. However, I am nevertheless bothered by the fact that many, in the actual practice of law, never even attempt to make that Utopian dream a reality. It's as though a heavy dose of cynicism and narcissism reign supreme for a vast majority of those figures within the legal profession. What's truly unfortunate about this reality, is that it reinforces the negative stereotypes the general public holds with regards to the legal profession. And, it's tragic in the sense that many good an decent people, who truly need help, are left disillusioned, as their attorney attempts to take the easy way out, because heshe loathes the thought of putting in the extra work, because there's a greater chance that the case cannot win, because the client never dotted their i's or crossed their t's. But, when one really thinks about it, the expectations of these practicing lawyers becomes unrealistic in and of themselves, for the simple fact that no one in the real world lives with in the rigid boundaries that the legal profession attempts to force upon the rest of society. Thus, lawyers attempt to tell everyone else that the decision making process should be one based wholly upon logic but, then those same attorneys exercise decision making, and screening a prospective client, based upon an wholly illogical system. In it's own right, this process is perhaps the most disgusting aspect of the profession in which I work. I know it may seem clichd to say thisbut I became a lawyer,for the very reason that I wanted to help people. My parents are both surgeons, and I witnessed how destructive the plaintiff bar can be. I viewed myself as taking the proactive step of learning the hated trade, in order to protect all people whom I felt were abused by the system. Yet, now, I see a completely different side of the picture. I suppose the theme of my last post inches its way back into relevancy within this topic, in that perhaps you could say that I'm sadder but wiser. What I mean is, I now see people who have really been harmed by the intentional actions of another, who wields more influencewhether via money, physical size, or what have youand no assistance becomes available to them, because the lawyers are afraid to act, because they're more concerned about their status in society overall, than they are in upholding the oaths they swore upon being admitted to the bar. I'm not wholly innocent of this myself. No one can live up to these Utopian principles...but I would like to think, at the very least, that I strive to achieve as many of these lofty goals as possible. The legal system has become something it was never designed to be in the first place. Initially, the courts were devised as a system of last resort. The purpose was to return a harmed individual to the statemonetarily speakingthat they were in, before the harm happened. But, over the course of development for our legal system, something changed. The impetus of the entire process shifted away from a system of last resort, and of balance. Rather, the legal system evolved into some grotesque and monstrous tool which unscrupulous souls use as either or lottery ticket, or to settle the score in a long running vendetta. Personal animus was never supposed to be part of the adversarial system. But, how could the system avoid becoming what it did? Anything that has an adversarial nature to it, will at some point, delve into the realm of personal animus, unless there are tight controls in place, designed to prevent just that. However, lawyers have been lax in their job of self-enforcing the various codes of professional conduct. Any self-policing system runs the risk of raising the ire of those who are not within the guild. However, in the case of law, this is made even worse, by the fact that the attorneys go after various other professions which adhere to a similar sort of self-policing policy which they adhere to in their own disciplinary system. This sort of hypocrisy is undeniable, it's tragic and worst of all, it encourages hatred of attorneys. Another old clich, often thrown around by the public loosely, is a line from Shakespeare's Henry VIFirst, we must kill all the lawyersmost, today, use that as a reference to the fact that lawyers were hated even back then. However, the true meaning behind Shakespeare's words there is that...if you want to have society crumble, you must first kill all the lawyers. Even today, parts of this would be true. Without the scumbags like me around, the state could arrest anyone for any capricious reason. Corrupt businessmen could seize land, property, and business opportunities from others, without any ramification. Nevertheless, attorneys have done a poor job of catering to the public of whom they serve. We haven't communicated our purpose well enough, despite the fact that communication is the most significant, and important aspect of a lawyer's career. I come to this site to help improve my writing. I'm wholly convinced that one never truly perfects their writing. Rather, writing, by its very nature is a process that most always be honed, and will continue to gradually improve, but can never be perfected. In that sense, writing and law are the same. A clear cut definition for law can never truly be achieved. Law is amorphous. It changes, as the needs of society change. It is constantly being refined, rebuffed, and polished...but it will never be perfect, nor will it ever be complete. So, to ensure that I continue to have my words flow in a logical fashion, yet also retain a touch of emotion and humanity within them, I delve into rps, displaying my emotions, hopes, and dreams...within the expressions of my characters, or descriptions of scenes. Believe it or not, a lawyer must be a story teller. He or she must be able to weave a concrete picture with words, whether oral or written, which coaxes the jury to emote. Many have called this process manipulative. But it isn't. All it is, is a form of roleplay. To recreate the events of a certain happening, to relive it in front of the jurors, so that they might make up their mind as to what has happened. Indeed, in the American legal system, at least, the jury carries a substantial amount of power. They are known as the Finder of Fact, meaning that if the jury determines that the sky was green, and a purple tornado destroyed the business next to the night club by fire...then by God that's what happened, at least according to the law. Yet, to convince a jury of this, a lawyer must have a powerful ability to weave a story that connects with the members of the jury. In other words, the lawyer must be a fantastic role-player. And for that reason, I find this site to be a God-send to me. Not only does it help me relax, and unwind from the confounding nature of law, which causes my blood to boil, but it also allows me to sharpen my instincts, to help me improve upon my ability to connect with jurors, and to help represent someone to a much higher standard than otherwise. Most lawyers do not practice this skill, and it shows. I myself have fallen flat in this respect several times. Nevertheless, I have noticed the gradual improvements of my connections with not only the jury, but also my own clients. Therefore, I want to take a moment here to thank every partner who rped with me, you...on a personal basis, availed the opportunity upon me to improve my craft, and I'm eternally grateful for it. To all of the role-players on this site, whom I have never interacted with, or at least haven't interacted with yet...I still want to thank you, because by keeping a community like this alive, you are allowing me to better my skills. In that sense, we are all working towards improving this world in our own individual ways. Self expression is such an important aspect of the human condition. Communities like this allow that to flourish, and it helps to ensure that each individual has a way to grapple with hisher own personal struggles. Escapism is a powerful tool, but this site provides more than a mere mechanism of escape. It is a thriving, colorful, diverse, and open place. And, for all of that, I truly love it! Thank you all for helping make life a bigger adventure than it would be otherwise!