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There was a time when lawyers, doctors and professors were seen as very noble people. Wise, well educated, and held to a code of conduct that was hirer than that of most people. Lawyers still are those things. To get a law degree requires a four year undergraduate degree and a three year juris doctorate course. Lawyers deal with life issues, not only their own, but of their clients. As a result of that life experience, lawyers become learned in human behavior and human nature. Lawyers are also held to standards of conduct that are greater than those for most people by the state bar, the courts and the public. Even though the qualities of a lawyer have not changed, the public view of lawyers has changed.

In part, the change is due to the fact that more people than ever before have a higher education. At a time when most did not get a full primary education, a juris doctorate seemed an insurmountable amount of education. Now, when many finish all or some college, a three year degree does not seem that much more to accomplish. The popularization of psychology and a general thought that everyone knows human behavior makes the experience of lawyers seem duplicitous. The rules regulating everyday interaction of people in all areas of their lives makes a code of conduct seem like just another set of rules.

I've written before that lawyers must accept some of the blame for their perception. I've also mentioned before that for every satisfied client, there is another client who lost and is mad at their lawyer and the other side's lawyer. Lawyers need to remind the public of who they are, why they exist, and what they do. For most people a lawyer is a greedy professional who charges outrageous fees to take advantage of people in difficult circumstances. They forget that most politicians have some legal training, that many clergy have legal training, that legal training and thought is what created the U.S. Constitution. Lawyers form an integral part of the functions of society. Lawyers, for the most part, are striving to make life better for all. Lawyers want an ordered society that seeks fairness, justice and peace.

One thing I haven't discussed is how the perception of lawyers is spoiled by a general negativity in society for anyone that stands in the way of a special interest agenda. When people want to ban flag burning, it is lawyers who fight to preserve the right of free speech. When a group wants to force a religious doctrine onto public policy, it is lawyers who fight to preserve the separation of church and state. When one group wants to persecute another, or deny them equal treatment, it is lawyers who fight for equality. Lawyers, placing themselves against special interest groups also place the public eye on the profession. Perhaps it is in this effort that lawyers still exhibit nobility. It is noble of a lawyer to fight for the underdog in the face of public opinion. Maybe, in time, looking back, lawyers will be seen as those valiant champions who fought to preserve the Constitution and ensure that justice was done.