佳作欣赏：Lawyers in My Eyes

作者：华中农业大学  郑观文

“What is a lawyer?” I asked myself the other day.

“Well, it is a well- paid and prestigious occupation.” I answered without a second thought.

“Sort of, and then what do lawyers do?”

“Most of the time they deal with legal cases, give legal advice to the clients and the like.”

“Yes. And how about your understanding about this occupation?”

“My…my understanding? Er…” My mind got blocked and then fell into blankness. It is not that difficult, but ironically I couldn’t give an immediate reply. Why is that? I am puzzled. It is not a question the same as blank-filling or multiple choice whose answer can be promptly distinguished at the first sight. It is the one that needs deeper and more profound consideration. To find out my answer to the question, I spent a whole day surfing the Internet and browsing dozens of relevant information. And finally I got my own idea.
The art of lawyer, according to He Weifang, a former renowned professor of Law School of Peking University, can not simply be gained from stereotyped knowledge from your reference books or segmented precepts from your parents. Only through perennial practice and experience can one open the door of success. In another word, persistent devotion and strong will are indispensable elements contributing to a lawyer’s success, which can be vividly exemplified by Erin Brockovich, an American law practitioner whose legendary experience was adapted as a film starring Julia Roberts. Her heart and soul was dedicated to finding out the hidden truth behind the water contamination incident. And through thick and thin, she miraculously won the largest American law suit--- forcing the culprit to pay a whopping $333,000,000 to the victims  who had suffered respiratory disease, kidney and liver disorder, and colon cancer from using the contaminated water.

Aristotle once put it, "The law is reason free from passion!" But his idea was hardly accepted by an uprising star of legal profession Elle Woods, a sexy, charming, and outstanding Harvard law student and later a successful lawyer in the famous comedy Legally Blonde. On her graduation ceremony at Harvard, she made a powerful and persuasive speech to illustrate the key component of studying law. “In my three years at Harvard,” she uttered, “I"ve come to find that passion is the key ingredient to the study and practice of law -- and of life. It"s with passion, courage of conviction, strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world! Remembering the first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must have faith in yourself!” I was totally convinced and in fact quite enthusiastic when I saw this part. She is right. Lawyers should not only possess the character of perseverance but be definitely faithful and passionate to the lofty profession.

In general, lawyers, as I see it, are first of all the incarnation of fairness and justice. They are the best interpreter of law and protector of the innocence. They occupy a strong sense of logic reasoning and are tremendously courageous in the light of the fact that “no one would take on the case... until ‘one man ’was willing to take on the system.”
 

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2009年1月1日