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 October 25, 2010 in 

[Begin willing suspension of disbelief.]

As I’ve said more than once, the government and the free market are failing to provide competent criminal-defense services to the working poor.

And so the church steps in: Well of the Oath Legal Clinic of Irving, Texas is a faith-based nonprofit organization providing legal services (through second-year lawyer Craig Randall Novak) to people making less than 250% of the Federal poverty guideline (so $27,075 for an individual or $45,775 for a family of three).

The representation is not entirely free, of course:

Furthermore, we will discuss with you your becoming or being an active part of a church body. We do not make exceptions to this policy. We believe that the Lord can not only change your life in your legal matters, but wants to heal you, and be with you through this difficult process. We will be glad to recommend to you, if you do not have a church family, one of our church partners.

This is an excellent role for a church: fighting social injustice by providing for the needs of those who would otherwise fall between the cracks. And if the church limits its clientele to those who share an invisible friend, so much the better.

[End willing suspension of disbelief.]

But if you accept free legal help, there’s no assurance that you’ll get competent representation. I am not confident that anyone choosing Well of the Oath would do better than he would with a low-bid letter lawyer. (Arguably, the free lawyer doesn’t even have to do as well as the cheap lawyer, but he does have to do better than the client would pro se.)

Eighteen months is not a lot of experience in criminal law (especially when the criminal law is mixed with immigration law and landlord-tenant law and family law); it isn’t enough experience for all of the sorts of cases that Novak is willing to take (including sex offenses, but only if he is “completely convinced that you are wrongly charged”).

Further, if Mr. Novak were to take on too many cases, all of his clients would suffer regardless of his base competency.

On the other hand, there’s got to be some happiness inherent in having God on your side, and if Mr. Novak were to screw up a case out of inexperience or overburden, well, that’d be God’s will, wouldn’t it?

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8 Comments

  1. Gideon October 25, 2010 at 2:45 pm - Reply

    Oh God.

    (See what I did there?)

  2. shg October 25, 2010 at 3:43 pm - Reply

    As you should be well aware, Mr. Smarty-Pants-Experienced-Criminal-Defense-Lawyer, whenever we win a case, it’s not because we were so smart or hard working, but because it was God’s will. Our experience only comes into play when we lose, in which case it’s our fault.

    • Mark Bennett October 25, 2010 at 4:06 pm - Reply

      Well, what if your schtick were, “We believe that the Lord can not only change your life in your legal matters, but wants to heal you, and be with you through this difficult process”? Then, mightn’t any unsuccessful outcome in the case be attributable to the accused’s failure to maintain his relationship with God?

      • shg October 26, 2010 at 5:48 am - Reply

        Are you suggesting that God doesn’t protect drug dealers? If so, then it’s time to change religions.

        • Gideon October 26, 2010 at 10:32 am - Reply

          Which God? My God or yours? Or are they the same? I can never keep track of that stuff.

      • David Wyborny October 26, 2010 at 11:46 am - Reply

        Mark, thats only have of it: Sometimes God wants you to be convicted so you can find Jesus on the inside.

  3. David Wyborny October 26, 2010 at 11:47 am - Reply

    edit// half

  4. David Wyborny October 26, 2010 at 12:45 pm - Reply

    We believe that the Lord can not only change your life in your legal matters, but wants to heal you, and be with you through this difficult process.

    Isn’t this code for I’m going to plea you to probation; so we can change your lifestyle?

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