Georgetown University Law Center Scholarship @ GEORGETOWN LAW 2006 Defending the Unpopular Down-Under Abbe Smith Georgetown University Law Center,
[email protected] This paper can be downloaded free of charge from: https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/220 30 Melb. U. L. Rev. 495-553 (2006) This open-access article is brought to you by the Georgetown Law Library. Posted with permission of the author. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub Part of the Criminal Law Commons GEORGETOWN LAW Faculty Publications February 2010 Defending the Unpopular Down-Under 30 Melb. U. L. Rev. 495-553 (2006) Abbe Smith Professor of Law Georgetown University Law Center
[email protected] This paper can be downloaded without charge from: Scholarly Commons: http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/220/ Posted with permission of the author DEFENDING THE UNPOPULAR DOWN-UNDER ABBE SMITH" [The ethics oj criminal deJence lawyers and others who represent 'unpopular clients' is a largely unexplored area oj legal scholarship in Australia. This article seeks to examine, Jrom a comparative perspective, the motivations and ethical practices oj these lawyers. Using interviews with Australian lawyers who represent the criminally accused, prisoners and asylum-seekers, as well as relevant ethical rules and commentary, the article identifies why lawyers undertake unpopular cases and, ultimately, what sustains them. Contrasting Australian legal practice with that in the US, the article discusses the sometimes competing proJessional obligations to court and client, truth and advocacy, public and proJession. In a time oj growing unease, the article offers new insights about how Australian lawyers see themselves and their work.] CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................