What bothers me even more, frankly, is the fact that some of these fears are real... Sometimes, people win in court not because they are right, but because their counsel is more persuasive for bad reasons... nice suit, good degree, better spoken, etc.... These totally useless measures are what may determine who goes free and who goes to prison. That is a fundamental problem with our entire system.

I'm reminded of the phrase "fear is the mind killer" from Dune. Also reminded of an episode of Ally McBeal I saw back in the day. The defense launched a persuasive arguement for victimhood of his client. His client is acquitted. At the end, Ally cannot believe it. She asks him, "Do you really believe all those things you said?" He says, "Of course not." "Then why did you say that?" she retorts. "Because I was paid to."

I don't know enough about the profession to know whether you get to choose your cases based on your own ethics. But I can guess that you'll never dream of making Partner in a firm without taking up cases that you yourself do not believe your own arguements for or against.

These are the problems I would personally have to wrangle with the most: Can I separate what happens inside the court from the rest of my life? Will I retain guilt for helping someone remain free that I really thought was guilty, or vice versa? Will I be able to maintain any hope of making an effective contribution to the system to steer it in the right direction? How am I going to feel the first time I inherit large spoils of victory? Will I become a dick?

Still, in your case, it sure would be funny to always be able to say, "There is another receipient of Cross examination, heh heh, get it?" :)

RE: The Problem with the Legal Profession