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The dark side of the law

People always say that working for a big firm is like selling your soul. They suggest that you'll be asked to do awful, unethical things on behalf of your clients, selling your services to the highest bidder regardless of the moral content.

Public service work, now that's noble. Sure, you're not making the big bucks, but you have truth, justice, and the American way on your side. You can sleep soundly each night with the knowledge that you're doing something good.

I have to say, though, I've never personally experienced an ethically questionable assignment at a firm. In the government job? Sometimes I'm sickened by the things suspects have done, and sometimes it's because of what I have to do.

I'm not an anarchist or anything. I'm not even certain I'd want to join the ACLU. But I've been surprised at how often I'm critical of the government's interference in people's lives. Take laws on drug possession and DUIs, for instance. Politicians look good when they pass ever-harsher laws. The AG is bound to enforce the laws. What about the people who have screwed up in the past but are trying to straighten out their lives? They don't have a chance. Sometimes it's not an actual law, it's political pressure to take action, to look tough on certain crimes or people. If you get swept in, even if what you did wasn't that serious, even if you're eventually acquitted or the charges are dropped, it's still years of your life, thousands of dollars in legal fees, and when people Google your name years later they'll still see the news reports saying you were charged with a crime. And a lot of these people don't have the thousands of dollars for legal fees. They can barely spell, let alone parse statutes and write a motion. Even if they have a case, they're not winning it.

Yes, there's prosecutorial discretion. But I'm an intern. I don't have any. And I feel a little dirty right now for enforcing the law as written, because I understand the consequences.

Full post as published by Magic Cookie on October 17, 2008 (boomark / email).