This Lawyer is a Real Man

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The Supreme Court of the United States. Washin...

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One of my favorite talk radio shows is Christian Worldview Today, with host Tony Beam.  Frequently, when Tony is leading into a story about someone taking a stand instead of caving, he has a “Real Man Update” and plays a clip of Reba McEntire singing “I Want A Cowboy”.  I’m taking a page from his book and having a Real Man story.

That Real Man is Paul Clement.  He was a member of the law firm King & Spalding until yesterday.  King & Spalding had been retained by the US House of Representatives to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), but caved to pressure from gay rights groups and withdrew their representation.  Clement left King & Spalding to move to another firm so he can continue to represent the House in this action.  Clement, showing his spine, said in his resignation letter, that

“a representation should not be abandoned because the client’s legal position is extremely unpopular in certain quarters.  Defending unpopular positions is what lawyers do.”

He also quoted a former partner at King & Spalding in saying

“You are not required to take every matter that is presented to you, but having assumed a representation, it becomes your duty to finish the representation.”

(Full PDF courtesy of The blog of LegalTimes.)

That, my friends, is a Real Man!

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Edit: fixed typo in Title.  How embarrassing!

2 thoughts on “This Lawyer is a Real Man”

  1. A real man? Next you will be saying that “a woman belongs barefoot in the kitchen, ethnics should be drinking out of a certain fountain and should be servants, and people should only marry within their own race because a certain book, faith, or belief says anything outside of this is a sin, wrong, or unnatural. You call this a real man? I call it a man fueled by ignorance!

    I have had to tolerate heterosexuals with their marriages, public affection, and straight lifestyle. I have no hate for heterosexuals even though that lifestyle is different from my strong beliefs and faith.

    My faith and beliefs do not allow me to live a heterosexual life style such as in a “straight marriage” but it also does not allow me to be ignorance and take away rights from you and your so-called “real man”.

    Reply

    1. Well, took a while to get this comment approved, and a response posted. Wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to acknowledge a response of that tone, but after much thought, here goes.

      Advocate Guy,

      Thank you for reading, and commenting, but I’m afraid you didn’t understand my point correctly. I was commending Clement for fulfilling his commitments in spite of external pressure. That is what an adult with integrity does, hence the “real man” label. I expected you to understand this, given the quotes you put in your own blog entry on the matter. Out of several paragraphs in the letter, you quoted him saying “defending unpopular clients is what lawyers do” and describing what he thought was the “honorable course.”

      I was not commenting on anyone’s belief on the issue. In fact, I read several articles, and saw no indication of Clement’s position on DOMA. His opinion is immaterial to my point.

      Now that the I’ve attempted to clarify my message, let me address your first paragraph. I’ve included your comment in it’s entirety, but had to consider it for some time before I did. You have essentially called me sexist, and racist. Ad hominem attacks contribute nothing to a discussion–they are merely diversionary tactics used in place of substantive evidence.

      You mentioned your faith multiple times; let me assure you my Christian faith teaches that all people are of equal value, no matter their gender, ethnicity, or any other personal attribute. You were the one who brought up the idea that anyone was less of a person than another. You are welcome to read, and even post constructive comments, but please note that any other inflammatory attacks or accusations will be deleted.

      Reply

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