Shawn Matlock (long lost son of TV’s Matlock, his denials notwithstanding), posts about A Lawyer Known As Weinstein.  The name Weinstein comes from a TV show called “Entourage,” hailing back to Shawn’s childhood roots in television, where he watched passionately to see his father perform.  Weinstein is a scoundrel.  Matlock (the father) was not.

This particular post by Matlock appears driven by the fact that Weinstein stole a client.  Since Shawn has neglected to share all the particulars, I’ll take some literary license to fill in the blanks.  weinstein undercut the fee (He charged you what!  Are you kidding, nobody charges more than $1500 for a murder case!) and promised an outcome (It’s no big deal, I’ve beaten a hundred murder cases where the eyewitness was a priest).  The defendant, a ferverent believer in the fungibility of lawyers, decided to make a change based on these minor representations.

Shawn was sitting at his desk, pondering how exactly he’s going to impeach the credibility of this priest, when the telephone call (or letter, pick’em) arrived.  “I’ve been retained, send me the file.”  Ouch.  He thought he had established a good relationship with the client.  He put in his time, did his work, cared.  And still the defendant pulled out.  But he added insult to injury by going to Weinstein.  He left a guy who was prepared to fight for him for a guy who would glom the money, plead him out as soon as he could and run away.  it’s a blow to the ego, and every criminal defense lawyer has a bit of an ego thing going, since there’s no way you can stand up to every cop, prosecutor and judge telling you you’re wrong constantly unless you believe in yourself.

Here’s the rub.  Honest lawyers are at a severe disadvantage.  We can’t lie to our clients.  We can’t tell them stuff that’s just plain false to get their money.  We can’t stroke them to get their case.  Honesty is an article of faith, and we must tell the truth.  Clients don’t always like the truth.  Clients often like the lies much better, because the lies are what they want to hear.  And so, the lawyer with integrity is left holding the bag while the lying scoundrel lawyer, the Weinsteins, hold the money.

In quiet moments, I muse about the amount of money I could have stolen from clients and potential clients if I would only be willing to lie.  I know what they wanted to hear.  I know the sweet words, whispered in their ear, that would have made me fortunes.  It would be so easy.  Just say the words, Greenfield.  Just softly speak the words that the defendants, their wives or husbands, their mommies want to hear.  They sit there, on the edge of their seats, ready to give up every penny they have to save their loved one, if only you would say the words.

But of course, I can’t.  Some would call me foolish.  Weinstein would call me foolish.  But there are very few things I have that cannot be taken away.  One of those things is my integrity.  It’s mine and you can’t take it.  Telling the truth to my clients is simply what I do.  If it costs me a fee, so be it. 

I would like to think that the Weinsteins can’t sleep out night, tossing and turning out of guilt for the theft of people’s hopes and money through their lies.  But truthfully, I think they sleep like babies.  They feel no remorse at all, and will wake up the next day to do it all over again.  What did you expect Shawn?  A fairytale with a happy ending?  That’s the problem with the truth; it doesn’t always end up the way you want.