Diplomatic?

 Posted on April 30, 2008 in Uncategorized

My lawyer informs me that, since I'm going to be HCCLA president next year (actually next week), I'm going to have to start being more "diplomatic".

I'm not sure I can do that.

But I'll try.... starting tomorrow.

Today's Asshat of the Day Award (henceforth "ADA") is shared by every 25-28 year old lawyer who thinks that a law degree and a job with a District Attorney's Office somehow qualifies her to make decisions that affect other people's freedom, their livelihood, and their futures.

Because, of course, it doesn't. And because believing that it does is the sort of arrogance that gives lawyers a bad name.

If you're one of those prosecutors who has the good sense to know that you don't have the wisdom to decide what other people "deserve", if you wield your newfound power with humility, and if you're not afraid to listen to those who have been around a lot longer than you (even if they are defense lawyers) then I'm not talking about you. You may even be in the majority; I don't know - there are an awful lot of young prosecutors who are under the impression that a commission from the State magically imbues a callow youth with an inerrant godlike sense of right and wrong.

This is, of course, the nature of youth: when we are young we have neither the knowledge required to know how much we don't know, nor the wisdom required to understand how much we don't understand.

The good news is that many of today's award winners might someday grow from supercilious self-righteous superior attorneys who think (by virtue of their law-school mock trial victories and their assignment to misdemeanor courts whose judges cosset and defer to them) that they are God's gift to advocacy, to decent human beings and possibly even pretty good lawyers.