According to my information, law — as practiced in the Kingdom in the current organized way — is something that has only happened recently. However, there is still a lot to be done before our judiciary meets the standards of other countries, including Gulf countries, where an attorney is considered to be a basic and very important element of any minor or major case.
My topic about lawyers today is not about detailing the history of lawyers in the Kingdom. However, I am puzzled about the situation of some attorneys.
What I find confusing is the type of cases they accept without any logical explanation. Why do they feel inclined to defend certain individuals? For instance, some accept cases according to what they read in newspapers and defend fathers who kill their children after abusing them, young men who kill others while carelessly and recklessly driving at speed, and men who kill their wives under the influence of alcohol. In fact, there are so many other examples. I just cannot understand why someone would be inclined to accept proposals to represent such defendants.
I would honor any lawyer who refuses to defend a criminal. Punishing and penalizing such individuals protects society from perverted behavior. I do not want to get into the details of a case or the attitude of an attorney. I am only referring to cases where the truth is as bright as the sun. The profession is still new in the Kingdom and it is in the best interests of lawyers that they do not defend cases they know they are doomed to lose.
Lawyers must look for cases with humane causes and not for ones that deliver large checks or bring fame. Attorneys are expected to have good intention in what they do. The minute they are convinced that a client is guilty, they should drop the case.
We do not want more people abusing women, or more fathers preventing their daughters from getting married for social or financial reasons, or more parents squandering the money given to them to look after their handicapped children to travel or get married, or more mothers struggling to feed their children not knowing where to go or what their God-given rights are. Lawyers must not accept such cases and should allow these criminals to be sent to jail.
I am not pessimistic about the integrity of lawyers. I have very high expectations of them. All I am saying is that we need to work together to stop crime in our society.
