popa bar abba: An attorney’s duty is to assist the client. If you restrict yourself to clients who are tsadikim, you will have no ethical issues. But most clients are normal people, who often get into all sorts of mischief. How often does a client tell an attorney: Figure out how much I injured the other person in the accident and I’ll pay? How about, negotiate a fair price (not the best price)? Many people who need a lawyer have real problems, sometimes of their own making – and the lawyer’s duty is to provide them all lawful assistance. Justice and fairness and morality are all good, as long as they benefit the client. — Halacha avoided this problem by not allowing lawyers (in the “barrister/litigator” sense) and requiring judges to protect the legal rights of all parties (rather than requiring each party to know the law and assert their rights, and to lose them if they don’t understand the law).
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