Secret # 5: Clients Are Kings Not Gods
Lawyers get in trouble when they forget Secret #5: Clients are kings, not gods. Law is a service business. We need clients to serve. Clients must be nurtured and well represented to grow your practice. But your first allegiance is to the law, not the client. Advancing your client’s interests at the expense of adherence to the law you serve is a sure road to hell, regardless of good intentions.
As lawyers, our first allegiance is to the law and the system we serve. We are required to represent our clients zealously, yes. But firmly within the bounds of the law. We’re also obligated to explain our limits to our clients.
Young lawyers can get caught in both sides of this dilemma. Distinguishing between what is ethical and what is unethical isn’t always as easy as it might seem to non-lawyers. But staying focused on our professional ethics is job one.
