If there is one thing I fear more than not accomplishing my life-long goals, or losing those closest to me, it is to find myself in need of lawyers to assist or defend me. This is not to say that I find lawyers disreputable or selfish, despite the high fees they so often charge. I know my own weaknesses; those I can face, can fight against. But to find oneself reliant upon a stranger who has no vested interest in one’s financial health or liberty is a situation I shall always endeavor to avoid.
Yet, no matter how we strive to avoid them, at times we need such assistance. Perhaps we stand accused of a crime (of which, hopefully, we are innocent). Perhaps others seek monies not due them, or would strip us of rights to which they are not entitled. It is then that we must seek out one who can steer us through a bewildering array of legal forms, seek agreements with our accusers, and if necessary, argue our case in court. While many might offer such assistance, I know whom my first choice would be. His name is Horace Rumpole.
In the British TV show “Rumpole of the Bailey,” and in the accompanying novels by John Mortimer, Horace Rumpole is the people’s defender. While he might wear the wig and gown of his fellow lawyers, Rumpole is disinterested in the more lucrative fields of civil and business law. He never argues for the prosecution: why would he wish to attack anyone? Nor does he dream of becoming a judge, of having to weigh the evidence and assume an impartial mindset. He could not bear to condemn someone to prison (or worse). For, before he sentenced the accused, he would have to say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
Such a stance might cost him the regard of friends who object to differing lifestyles or beliefs. He may confound colleagues when defending those whose words or actions run contrary to societal norms. His family might object to his insistence upon defending someone known to have committed similar crimes. For Rumpole is not interested in determining guilt or innocence: that is for the jury to decide. He may disagree with some, or indeed every aspect of his client’s life. His duty is not to admire those he serves, but defend their right to make their own choices.
Most will never understand Rumpole. I’m not sure that I comprehend him fully. I can understand why others often disagree with his decisions and actions. After all, it is never difficult to look down upon someone, or view another with disdain. To say, either aloud or in your head, “I am right and you are wrong.” But there is something I find deeply admirable in Horace Rumpole. To never look to my own betterment at the expense of others. To never value “truth” above another’s rights. To never decide that a given person is in need of reform, and therefore I must strip him of the dignity to make his own choices. To never attack, but to always defend.
If more of us were like Rumpole, perhaps our world would need fewer lawyers. Perhaps then no one might ever find himself in need of outside help to safeguard his financial health and his personal liberty. But before I can wish for a better world, I must make a start in my own life. I must be more like Horace Rumpole. I must never see myself as better or "more right" than anyone else. I must never attack another, but always stand ready to defend those in need. Only then may I dare to dream of a better world.
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