Role of Justice Lawyers

Justice is won through the hard work of the attorneys on both sides. Lawyers are called upon to preserve the justice system. In fact the Rules of Professional Responsibility which apply to every lawyer, states in the preamble: "as advocate, a lawyer zealously asserts the client's position under the rules of the adversary system." As a result of this requirement, many lawyers are misjudged for vigorously defending their client, as though the lawyer were unethical in the mere representation of the client rather than carrying out an ethical duty.

Skill of the Trial Lawyer:

The trial lawyer's role becomes important in preserving justice. The role requires incredible effort and skill. The lawyer must present her/his client's case to a judge or a jury with the skill that only experience can bring. First of all, she/he must work hard to gather all the facts of the case.

She must understand the technical aspects of the case and all the legal issues that will be presented to a jury. For instance, in a personal injury case, the lawyer must understand the physical/medical mechanics of the injury and be familiar with and understand all of the client's medical records. She must be able to explain to the jury the mechanics of the crash.

Requires a financial commitment:

The lawyer must commit her/his financial resources for the costs of presenting the case to a jury which can cost several thousand dollars.

It is her responsibility to pay the costs of bringing the experts to testify at the trial such as the treating doctor who will explain the extent of the injuries, an accident reconstructionist who will explain how the crash occurred, an engineer who will describe the mechanical forces that caused the injury to the Plaintiff, and a toxicologist who will explain how the behavior of the drunk driver was affected by the level of alcohol as measured immediately after the crash.

Communication with the Jury:

The lawyer must understand the psychology of the jury pool and be able to skillfully inquire of and perceive the prejudices held by jurors so that she/he can eliminate those jurors who would not be able to put away their prejudices against her/his client when deciding the case.

The lawyer must also be able to speak to a jury in such a way as to hold their attention and present the evidence and the law to the jury so that they may see clearly the merits of her/his client's case. She/he must be able to argue with passion to the jury proving her/his case to the jury "by a preponderance of the evidence" (civil case) or "beyond a reasonable doubt" (criminal).

TRIAL LAWYER'S EFFORTS HAVE PRODUCED SAFER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Generally speaking, Plaintiff's lawyers have been in the lead in producing product safety. Most of the advancements in the safety of consumer products have come about not because of government regulation but because of the efforts of lawyers to make it more economical for big companies to make safe products.

Consumer victories in the areas of hospital care, medical treatment, highway and automobile design, workplace safety, and safer products have come about because of the dedication of a plaintiff's lawyer who was willing to risk assets, energy and determination on the behalf of the plaintiff to make America a safer place to live.

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