Week 5 EOC

Lawyers Looking for Fame

Every now and then, a case goes to court that draws a lot of attention. The attention is drawn not because of its importance in lawmaking, but because of its likeliness to end up in the Supreme Court.

The people who are paying attention to these cases are high powered lawyers from prestigious law firms. So-called “respected” firms that are held to a level which one would assume that the firm had only the client’s best interests in mind when it took on the responsibility. But here is what the firm really had in mind: Arguing a case in front of the Supreme Court. To stand before the supreme court justices means prestige. It means that you get to say that you have been there and done that. And it also means that you as a law firm can attract more high-paying clients because the fact that you argued a Supreme Court Case is the ultimate street cred among lawyers.

This sort of behavior is everywhere. In 2005 Saddam Hussein’s top lawyer quit amid allegations that he was in it for the money. “Al-Khasawneh became Saddam's chief lawyer in November, weeks after the dictator's family dismissed Mohammed al-Rashdan, a prominent Jordanian lawyer who led the defense team, accusing him of seeking fame in the high-profile case that has drawn world attention.” Associated Press.
In 2008, an independent trader took a $600.00 loss buying and immediately selling back 1,000 oil barrels, causing a $100-a-barrel oil price surge that raised gasoline prices for everyone. "A local trader just spent about $600 in a trading loss to buy the right to tell his grandchildren he was the one who did it. "Probably he is framing right now the print reflecting the trade," he added. Stephen Schork, a former trader at Nymex and editor of the oil market Schork Report told the Financial Times.

Recently, this idea took a different twist. In the case of a murdered two year old child, a top forensic lawyer quit the case. It was speculated that she quit merely because it was not drawing her enough attention and thus did not merit her efforts. “My question is, did Linda Baden really step down because of financial reasons or does she now feel like the defense is going to lose their case and she would rather not be a part of a losing team?” Blogger news network.
But when it comes to matters that are so difficult to call that they reach the Supreme Court, there is no place for a glorified ambulance chaser just looking to buffer his firms image and attract more money.