Real Attorneys, Working

May 5, 2018

Real Attorneys, Working

Rudy

Rudy Giuliani

From time to time I write about subjects, even though I lack a deep, personal knowledge base. G-d bless the Internet, which provides ready access to reliable sources. (Yes, I believe the MSM. Working journalists—people, mostly underpaid relative to societal value, who seek truth—get the story right, mostly.) With a functioning brain which can string together sentences and organize them into paragraphs, I write posts people read. And I sleep well, comfortable that I am not offering Fake News.

Then there are those moments when I write with first-hand knowledge. Like, about real attorneys, working.

So, what do we—working attorneys—do all day? Lots. My days include telephone conferences with clients and other, along with—increasingly—email exchanges. Court appearances, maybe once or twice a week. (My partner’s practice takes her to court more often.) Research. And writing. Lots of writing. Short and long emails. Letters. Memoranda. Pleadings.

I get the fact that I don’t represent President Donald J. Trump. Calls over the years have gotten me close to representing public figures. Haven’t had one yet, and with each inquiry I’ve made the No call. That said, I know representing public figures involves more exposure, news conferences, phone calls from reporters, etc.

Which brings me to Rudy Giuliani. Maybe, once, Mr. Giuliani was a really good lawyer. Or not.* Regardless, nothing about how he goes about representing POTUS supports that conclusion now.

Good lawyers do their work quietly. Even those who represent public figures. They gather facts and apply the law. They develop arguments. If they are litigating, they figure out how to win. But—and fully appreciating that the public domain when it comes to Mr. Trump involves other issues—they solve problems. Over many years I have called myself Lawyer, Attorney, Technical Writer, and … Problem Solver. Problem Solver fits best these days, in my not so humble opinion.

I offer the foregoing thoughts because, listening to the president, Rudy G., and others, I’m struck by the fact that I don’t hear much from Robert Mueller or anyone who works for him. Mr. Mueller, a Republican who led the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a President George W. Bush appointee whose 10-year term President Barack Obama extended, serves as Special Counsel. His charge? Investigating Russia interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Mr. Mueller, along with his legal and support staffs, do their jobs. They interview witnesses. Gather evidence. File cases. Prepare pleadings. Etc. You don’t hear them on television, carrying on. Instead, they act like real attorneys, working.

Think what you will about the Special Prosecutor, the POTUS, Russia messing around here, etc. Dont lose sight of the fact, though, that Mr. Mueller and his people work every day, without a lot of fanfare, doing what attorneys do. Rudy G. will win a news cycle or two, for sure (although, right now, he seems to be losing them all.) In the end, though? My money—literally, for I have real money on President Michael Pence before January 1, 2019—says we’re seeing End Days for the Trump Administration. Rudy and the other newsmakers will make noise, and millions will say Wow. In the end, though, facts and law will prevail. President Pence makes my skin crawl, but Real Attorneys, Working beat Reality Lawyering nine days out of seven.

*A friend, also an attorney and, as it happens, a very good one, wore hand-me-down monogrammed shirts for many years. Initials? RGL. Per my friend: Really Good Lawyer.

Leave a Reply