Attorneys are regulated internally, by the bar itself. So the bar has set a number of ethical rules/regulations that attorneys must adhere to, otherwise be sanctioned/lose their license. For many attorneys, they must practice without help and without the option to stop. They cope by drinking/drugs.
One rule speaks to zealous advocacy of clientele. An attorney can't "quit" without doing so carefully, lest they face sanctions from the bar for hurting a client. Even when done carefully, many states won't let you out of a criminal case because you need out. Someone's freedom is depending on your availability. Complicating this is the fact that some areas of practice are not conducive to building large firms. Criminal defense, for example, is not the kind of practice where you can build a large firm. Most practitioners are solo attorneys. Generally, these attorneys practice without backup and without the ability to stop.
Another set of rules speaks to attorney client confidentiality. A disgruntled client now has infinite platform to complain (check out avvo.com which behaves a lot like Yelp does in every way), while attorneys have no recourse for most public complaints, lest the bar consider their speaking on the subject a breach of client confidentiality.
Bars in most states have tried to reach out with hotlines for lawyers. Seriously.
As hard as this might be to hear in a time of grief, at some point you need to stop blaming "big law" and take a
hard look in the mirror. Only then will you be able to start assigning much of the blame where it really belongs, namely on "big ego" and "big greed." Maybe criminal defense lawyers should not be putting in 16 hours days trying to get their (almost always guilty as hell) clients off on their charges by whatever means possible. After all, poor people who have committed crimes have to make due with court-appointed lawyers who are usually willing do no more than the law requires. And as someone who has personally been a victim of greedy and viciously unscrupulous attorneys on the civil side of the law, I just want to add here that for some of us, a dead attorney is the only real "good attorney."
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[ 5.1 ms ] story [ 32.6 ms ] threadOne rule speaks to zealous advocacy of clientele. An attorney can't "quit" without doing so carefully, lest they face sanctions from the bar for hurting a client. Even when done carefully, many states won't let you out of a criminal case because you need out. Someone's freedom is depending on your availability. Complicating this is the fact that some areas of practice are not conducive to building large firms. Criminal defense, for example, is not the kind of practice where you can build a large firm. Most practitioners are solo attorneys. Generally, these attorneys practice without backup and without the ability to stop.
Another set of rules speaks to attorney client confidentiality. A disgruntled client now has infinite platform to complain (check out avvo.com which behaves a lot like Yelp does in every way), while attorneys have no recourse for most public complaints, lest the bar consider their speaking on the subject a breach of client confidentiality.
Bars in most states have tried to reach out with hotlines for lawyers. Seriously.
You believe there should be no attorneys?