"I am a defense attorney, and my family is putting me in an impossible position. Belinda and my parents are pressuring me to defend her in court pro-bono. I have explained to them that Belinda was responsible for her actions, this occurred in a room full of witnesses, and the best she can hope for is that she will be ordered to pay for the damage along with some extra restitution."
"I may be completely off base here, but I'm reading between the lines of your letter and I'm sensing a possibly unhealthy family dynamic. While I think everyone deserves legal representation, and while I'm glad that Belinda has the support of her family, I'm wondering if Belinda has historically gotten too much support from your family and has never had to really face the consequences of her own actions. Was she the golden child? Did she always get her way?"
An attorney's sister, Belinda, disrupted a former fiancé's wedding reception by shoving the cake to the floor and was arrested. Family members are pressuring the attorney to provide pro bono defense despite clear witness accounts and likely restitution. The attorney has refused to personally take the case and offered to seek a colleague within the firm. The situation suggests possible family enabling and a pattern of avoiding consequences. The attorney should assert professional boundaries, cite conflict-of-interest and ethical considerations, and provide referrals rather than accept direct representation.
Read at Slate Magazine
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