The Paradox of Law

It's an age-old dilemma. The law applies to all, and everyone has the right to representation in front of the bodies of government that make, execute, and apply it. We learn this in grammar school. It became particularly apropos and sacred to me in law school. But what about the bad guys? Is it ok to differentiate between who is good and who is bad? Should some people have more representation than others?

In a meeting at work this morning, a friend's name came up in conversation. He's a lawyer at a relatively big firm (RBF, since that's about as big as they get in smallish state, to differentiate between an actual BF) who has an array of clients as diverse as local nonprofits and major corporations. Referring to his lobbying on behalf of major corps, boss said "how can he live with himself?"

Squinting, I said "because he's a lawyer." I meant it at face value. It's important. I believe that. A good lawyer has to be a relativist.