For book club this month we read "To Kill A Mockingbird". It's a classic. Everyone loves the hero Atticus Finch for representing Tom Robinson who is on trial for raping a white girl. Tom was an African American, with a previous record, who everyone thought was guilty. Atticus was a hero for defending him because it was a hard, unpopular thing to do. We love Atticus because he stood for justice. He put aside social pressures and stereotypes and did what was right. He was a Defense Attorney.

(Warning, soap box moment coming!)

My father is a defense attorney and my husband is super close to being an attorney. I have always felt on guard and defensive about lawyer jokes and comments from people like:

 "how could your dad do that for a living"

"how can he defend people he knows are guilty"

"Oh your dads a liar"

Most of the time anyone who is bad mouthing someone or something simply doesn't understand.  If you don't know the law its hard to understand that everyone has a right to a fair trial and that most of the time when a client is guilty, he and his attorney claim just that. They are usually trying to get lesser pleas, not lie about what they did.

I guess my question boils down to this, why is Atticus Finch a hero for defending Tom Robinson and defense attorneys today are scum for doing the exact same thing? Aren't they as noble and heroic for standing up for someone who no one else will?

Can you imagine if your profession was publicly slammed and disgraced openly and no one considered it rude or distasteful?