Brown Boy Goes to Law School

Judge Jed S. Rakoff is a pretty prominent guy with a distinguished career as a prosecutor, a criminal defense lawyer, and a judge. He’s seen it all. He was the judge who famously declared the death penalty unconstitutional. But anyways, he delivered a brief talk on science and the law at Akron Law School. Afterwards, I asked him what he personally liked and disliked about being a Prosecutor and being a Criminal Defense lawyer…

He said being a Prosecutor was a very fulfilling career. At the end of the day, you feel good about what you’re doing. You’re helping put criminals in jail who deserve to be put in jail. You’re contributing to your country.

He said being a Criminal Defense lawyer was also a very fulfilling career, but in a different way. He admitted that the vast majority of your clients will probably be guilty, and it’s sometimes difficult to develop a strong relationship with your clients because many are bad guys who just don’t care. But it’s a fulfilling career because you are on the very front lines of defending liberty. When the government has a crackdown, oftentimes its the minority (not just talking about race) communities that are targeted. You, as a criminal defense lawyer, are the front line of protecting and defending our liberties.