tarkady Delay tactics can sometimes get you into a pinch. Judge Kenneth J. King denied a motion by Robert Bashara’s attorneys to be removed from the case. There are several reasons this can happen. Bashara cited his lawyer’s ineffectiveness and blamed the prosecutor and media. Attorney David Griem cites a breakdown in communication as the reason for needing to quit the case.
I’m not going to go as far as to say that Griem is making a bad habit of this, but it is the second high profile case he’s quit/been fired from recently. When attorney/client relationships break down, it’s time for both the client and the attorney to set their egos aside and figure out how to fix the problem. They need to take responsibility for their relationship instead of blaming news media and the prosecution. An effective attorney should have a team that can handle the media.
An attorney/client relationship is a lot like a marriage. It takes work, communication, compromise, trust and perseverance to make it work. Inevitably, both sides will feel at a disadvantage at some point. It’s important to be confident and open in your communications with your client in order to act in the client’s best interest.
Perhaps the funniest turn of events came when Griem’s request to withdrawal from the case was denied by Chief Judge Kenneth J. King. Bashara was called onto the carpet for trying to delay his next hearing in the hopes that a key witness would pass away due to severe health problems.
NY criminal lawyer Arkady Bukh points out that a criminal defense attorney’s job is to protect the defendants’ rights. It’s inevitable that some of your clients will be guilty of the crimes they’ve been accused of. You have to hang in there with your client, through thick and thin, in order to act in their best interests. Your job is to stick with them, guilty or not. You also need to be capable of extending unconditional respect and feeling empathy for your client at all times.
