Hooray for the Lawyers and Judges - of Pakistan

The media pictures last week of protesting Pakistani lawyers massing in the streets while being clubbed and gassed by the police, is a most remarkable sight. And they were all in suits and ties. It's one of those mind-bending scenes that flies in the face of centuries old negative lawyer riffs like the old Spanish proverb, "It is better to be a mouse in a cat's mouth than a man in a lawyer's hands." And what about all those, 'how many lawyers does it take to (FILL IN THE BLANKS) jokes. In stark contrast, the paradigm shifting Pakistani lawyers are asking 'how many lawyers does it take to bring down a dictator?" And how about those judges? The whole martial law, suspend-the-constitution crackdown was initially triggered by Pakistan's highest judges who dared challenge the ruling authority of a President. In contrast, our highest judges sometimes challenge the ruling authority of an electorate and actually select a president. A mass of homegrown attorneys-in-the-streets is not something you see in our 200 TV channel universe. As lawyers would say, let's stipulate that there are many fine legals out there that do necessary pro bono cases, who work on critical public policy issues. But is that the prevailing mode for the majority of our legal community?

For a clue as to what gets our legals in a tizzy, take a look at the November issue of the ABA Journal, the official voice of the American Bar Association. As of this writing, here are the current top five stories our lawyers care about:

1) Survey: Associate Loyalty at All-Time Low"

2) Wal-Mart Refuses Lay Firm Fee Hikes

3) Survey Reveals the Unhappiest Associates

4) Va. Attorney Charged with 'Embracery"

5) Busy Lawyer Compares His Life-Stylist to 'Outsourced Wife"

If you ask Pakistan's lawyers why they were the first ones out in the streets, in their suits and ties, it's because they can, according to a Pakistani journalist. They were the only ones who could afford to lose a day of work while Former Prime Minister Bhutto folks take in a dollar-a-day, making it a bit harder to take time off. Now, with the lawyers in jail, even the dollar-a-day people are massing. By contrast, take a look at the serious constitutional crises facing our country today: habeas corpus suspension, legalization of torture, presidential signing statements, eavesdropping on citizens, government secrecy, etc. If you ask our lawyers why they are not in the streets over any of these things, they might also say they can't afford to. With prices the way they are, who can give up $200-to-$500 dollars-an-hour to be out protesting? When our lawyers do form a critical mass around something, it's quite often in the grand ballroom of some hotel at a fundraiser for a political candidate or issue that's good for the business -- in their suits-and-ties. Yep, quite a contrast.

Comments

[SamEllison]

...and then they came for the lawyers...