The Power of One, Part Two: Lawyer as Counselor

(Note: this is the second post in a four-part series.)

How long, after your first law school class, was it that someone asked you for legal advice?  Better yet, how long, after you announced you planned to attend law school, was it that someone asked you for legal advice?

Legal education strives to enhance certain abilities in the “counseling” domain.  Listen closely.  View from multiple perspectives.  Probe for more facts.  Gather similar past scenarios and their outcomes.  Anticipate consequences of various actions.   Remain objective.  And of course, law school begins developing the skill differentiating lawyers from other counseling professionals: the ability to find, understand and apply the law.

Our education thus gears us to the community’s foremost request of the lawyer:  advice about the law.   Indeed, a good lawyer often seeks legal counsel himself, for two bright minds are usually better than one.  A good lawyer also knows her limits, and readily consults with others about subject matters outside her expertise.

Continue ReadingThe Power of One, Part Two: Lawyer as Counselor

Chisholm: Revise Truth-in-Sentencing, Support “Smart” Use of Alternatives to Hold Down Costs and Fight Crime

Crime can continue to go down in Milwaukee and spending on criminal justice can be controlled successfully, but only if steps are taken to give local judges, prosecutors, police and others involved in criminal justice tools, incentives and support in doing so, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said in a speech Friday at Marquette University Law School.

In what he described as a major policy statement, Chisholm called for modifying the state’s truth-in-sentencing law and maintaining support of programs that assess the risks and needs of people charged with crimes so that fewer end up in prison and more end up on paths that lead  away from re-offending.

“Both sides of the political spectrum must acknowledge that talking tough on crime has reached its limits,” Chisholm said. “Being smart on crime is the solution.”

(The text of Chisholm’s comments can be read here and a video of his speech and a question and answer session following it can be viewed here.)

Chisholm said such “smarter” efforts are paying off in Milwaukee, but are in danger of being undermined by major cuts in federal anti-crime programs and in state aid to criminal justice  work.

Continue ReadingChisholm: Revise Truth-in-Sentencing, Support “Smart” Use of Alternatives to Hold Down Costs and Fight Crime