Are solicitors sympathetic to all their clients?

[rickman]

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They will act if you pay them. They don't have to like you or agree with you or even think you have a chance of winning. They can refuse if they want to as a company.

Most of the solicitors I know think at least some of their clients are arses and losers. They obviously have their favourites too - usually the ones with a bit of character (esp in the criminal practices!). That said, most of them are fee paying and like any business that's what they're in it for.

Its the same as any other job...some clients are great to work for, some are complete pains in the whotsit!! If they are paying you, then you've got to do the job!!

In criminal law I think the lawyers get more characters, and of course more difficult defence work morally, but as they say, everyone is entitled to a defence.....

Its the same as any other job...some clients are great to work for, some are complete pains in the whotsit!! If they are paying you, then you've got to do the job!!

In criminal law I think the lawyers get more characters, and of course more difficult defence work morally, but as they say, everyone is entitled to a defence.....

Goodness no! Some clients are complete tossers but you can't only choose to act for those you like. Solicitors shouldn't really act for someone if they think they have little chance of winning. At least, they should make it abundantly clear that they have b&gger all chance of winning otherwise they risk having costs awarded against them personally for an abuse of the court process. Also they cannot act for a client in a criminal matter if they know that the client is guilty.

yes, but the KNOWING the client is guilty bit can be taken with a pinch of salt. I used to work as a legal exec for a criminal firm pre-children and I'd say that 99% of our clients were guilty as hell but we still had to defend them, we just didnt ask if they did it (not that criminals tend to tell the best truth to begin with!).

We had some horrible clients, but money is money, my boss used to even keep hold of them as clients if they had been violent to us in the police stations or at court as it was money. Hence, I no longer work in that field.

We also had some great characters who you certainly wouldnt want to meet in a dark lane but used to come into the office and make us laugh, the more stupid the more amusing really. Oh and criminals universally smell but we still had to stick by the smelly poo-smeared addicts (unfortunately)

I guess if you are the boss of a firm you can refuse to act for someone you dont like, but if you are a skivvy (not a partner) you have no say. I got assaulted by one of our clients in a cell at Crown Court when I was 4 months pregnant with dd, and to this day my boss still acts for the git. Something to do with the 20 odd arrests per year and it paying his sallary. Hmmn.

If you do family law work, you often end up having at best ambivalent feelings about most of them. It does bring out the very worst in people.

Never done any crim but gather it is very colourful. One of my mates said that the only client she had a real problem with was a man accused of child abuse ...said she felt dirty being in the same room as him. OTOH she said a couple of arsonists and thieves were most entertaining (in a professional capacity of course)

KNOWING that the client is guilty cannot be taken with a pinch of salt. You may feel/have a good idea/be convinced that they are guilty, but unless you have absolute proof or they tell you directly, you do not know. If you genuinely know, then you cannot act for them as you are an officer of the court and you cannot lie to the court, which is what you would have to do if you were defending them.

I've seen plenty of clients who probably were guilty of numerous offences, but without absolute proof of the one they are charged with, you don't know they are guilty of this one.

Don't have to like them though.

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Yes, solicitors are human beings and often feel very sorry for the other side if it is clear their own client is an arse. But you've still got to be professional and do the best job you can for the arse.

I have just once in my career seen a partner refuse to act for a client solely because he couldn't stand him.