Legalities

Legalities, a weekly column that appears in the Help section of the Southern Illinoisan, is a free service of the Self Help Legal Center. You can visit the Southern Illinoisan website at: http://www.southernillinoisan.com

Q: I don't like the attorney who is handling my case. For that matter, I do not like the attorney who is representing the other side as he is not concerned about justice, he is only concerned about how much he can get for his client. If so many people hate attorneys, why doesn't the legal profession do something about it?

A: Let's start with the first part of your statement where you say that you don't like your attorney. As a client, it is perfectly common for you to have disagreements with your attorney from time to time. You should not, however, hate the person whose job is to advocate for your interests. You need to figure out what exactly the problem(s) is that you have with your attorney, schedule an appointment to meet with him or her about this problem and give him/her a chance to resolve it to your satisfaction. If this does not work, then by all means, you should find another attorney.

It is very common for people to dislike the attorney who is representing the person who has sued them. While it is difficult, you should try to separate the person from his/her job. Like your attorney, the opposing party's attorney's job is to advocate strongly for his/her client. He/She is not supposed to look out for you, for "justice" or for anyone else but the client.

People usually dislike attorneys because unfortunately, most people do not come into contact with an attorney unless something has gone wrong (i.e. death, injury, accident, etc). People tend to associate attorneys with these problems and consequently, tend to have an unfavorable opinion of them.

Similarly, for our legal system (and our democracy) to work, attorneys must also advocate for people and interests which are not popular. Keep in mind that most of the rights guaranteed by our Constitution exist not to protect the majority of our citizens from unpopular ideas but rather, to protect the minority of our citizens from popular ones. People associate unpopular people and interests with the attorneys who represent them and as such, hold a negative opinion about the legal profession.

Attorneys do a great number of things to improve public opinion including pro bono (free) legal work, public service, and community legal education. Some things, however, are outside the profession's control.

You may be surprised to know that the legal profession is controlled by numerous laws and self-imposed ethical guidelines. In Illinois, attorneys are disciplined and licensed by a commission called the Attorney Regulatory and Disciplinary Commission. Attorneys must be licensed to practice in Illinois and their licenses can be taken away for illegal as well as unethical behavior. You should not, however, confuse advocacy for a position you do not like with illegal or even unethical behavior.

Do you have a legal question? Write us at Self Help Legal Center, SIU School of Law, Mailcode 6804, Carbondale, Illinois or e-mail us at selfhelp@siu.edu. Not all questions will be answered and may be edited for space or content.

Legalities is written by the Self Help Legal Center, a public service of the SIU School of Law. The Self Help Legal Center cannot provide legal representation. It can, however, help you find the answer to your legal problem. This column is for general legal information purposes only and the advice given in this column may not apply to your situation. For specific legal advice about your situation, you should consult an attorney licensed to practice in Illinois. This column is not meant to give legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.