Rule #12

Be prepared to argue for people you don't want to.

A semester-along assignment in one class is to craft an appellate argument. Each of us in class had to draw at random from a hat to decide which side of the case each of us would argue. I spent part of yesterday evening reading through the materials and then hoping that I got to argue the appellee's side. She's a much more reputable character in my mind. And lo and behold, I randomly select the appellant, instead. My heart sank. I have to represent that chick? The one who received a benefit from someone and then threw it back in their face? Who won who used and then abused? And yet, she may have a valid legal case. I suppose you have to love law and order in the abstract to be in the business...or else lose all sentiments of what is right and good and just argue because you are told to, like a war machine...or some mixture of both.