AnaTeresa
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I read several post here and decided that I would write my thoughts about Baez. They will not be popular however they will be from my POV.
I realize that many of you have not spent extended time in a courthouse or around a courthouse. Yes most D lawyers are hated, called snakes and many other names. When I was young and first out of college I was involved in a case and I hated, hated the D lawyer. I hated him so much that I thought many awful thoughts..yes even wishing harm to him....Peter Odom (yes he is on NG now) was the Assistant County Attorney at the time. The way Peter talked acted towards him in Court I thought he hated him too. Once during the trial I had to take something to Peter's office and there sat the D lawyer. They were laughing and talking about the ski trip they were taking that weekend together. I thought Wow how can this be. I was disappointed to say the least. They were great friends and it was explained to me that this was their "job" and they had to do/would do anything in the courtroom to win a case. It was a big lesson to me at the time.
A couple years later the County Attorney left his position to become a D lawyer in a local firm. This County Attorney set records in our State and nationwide on how many sex offenders he put in jail. He hated them! He would do anything to win a case and get those monsters off the streets. Guess what his first case was? Yup a local LE who was accused of molesting young boys through the Big Brother organization. I almost threw up! That was the day that I lost all respect for ANY lawyer. For most it's a "job" to them. A game to some. I have seen lawyers bet each as to who will win the case. Sick.
I have many more stories and it makes me sick. Yes our system needs to be changed so something like this doesn't happen again. LE does plant evidence, lie on the stand and many other things that would blow you away. I have seen it, heard it and tried to fight it.
I know that Baez grates on many people however I don't think he is bad person. He just works in a bad profession that needs to be changed. Some things being said about him is downright wrong. I just wish people would take a step back and think about things before they type.
I'm a law student. I'm also a legal clerk at a criminal defense firm. Respectfully, I cannot disagree more with what you said. I had hoped, reading the beginning of your story, that it would be a realization, when you saw the defense attorney in the prosecutor's office, that defense attorneys are simply human beings, who provide a necessary legal service. Defense attorneys are needed in our criminal justice system. They are not scum, or snakes, or playing a game, or even out to make a buck. Sure, you get unethical or greedy lawyers, but there are unethical or greedy people in every profession.
99% of the clients that come to the office where I work are guilty. Some of them are not very nice people, even. But in some cases, they are in our office because of an illegal search - a violation of their rights. In other cases, they are in our office because they made a mistake. However, some of them are very nice people who know they have screwed up - and those mistakes are not in a bubble. They ripple out to not only affect their life, but the lives of their family, friends, and sometimes employers. We advocate for them to be treated fairly in the justice system, as is their right. Then there's that 1%. We've got a case coming up this fall, a murder case, where I am convinced the client did not commit the act he's charged with. We've poured tons of money and time into this, because it will be a difficult case to prove. But this is someone's life on the line. Do we really want an innocent man to be locked up for the rest of his life? Do we only give "good" attorneys to those we perceive as nice and probably innocent at the outset of the case? No - everyone is afforded a fair prosecution and a fair defense. While our justice system is not perfect, there can be no justice without fairness. Lawyers are integral part of ensuring fairness.
As for Baez, I can't say that I'm impressed with his performance. We discussed his "shotgun" approach in the office, and the more seasoned attorneys I work with had a similar opinion to the Above the Law article. I will be interested to see how he handles his career post-case. I think that will be most telling as to his possible motivations and/or talents (or lack thereof...).