"Mr. Trump prefers lawyers who are eager to appear on television to say that he never did anything wrong; Mr. [Butch] Bowers has been noticeably absent in the news media since his hiring was announced." - Maggie Haberman, MSN (previously in The New York Times), January 30, 2021.
It is widely known already that Butch Bowers Jr., a lawyer from South Carolina, won't be leading Donald Trump's impeachment defense. But the issue that has raised is: In this media era, has it become part of lawyer's "job description" to also be out there in the court of public opinion?
From the get-go, Trump should have known that Bowers was not that kind of lawyer. The Washington Post describes him as "a lawyer with a military background, taciturn demeanor ..."
On the one hand, it's obvious that the courts of public opinion intersect with the courts of law. Increasingly, public relations firms partner with law firms on high-profile cases. In addition, more and more law firms have well-oiled public relations machines. Those are not only to develop new business. They also put current litigation out there.
On the other hand, there is the ethical and stylistic matter if the lawyers representing the clients should be the point persons for pitching the arguments to the public.
It has been conjectured that the media is the most powerful entity in the world. It is posited to have more control than wealth per se, government and the private sector.
If it becomes standard to have the lawyer be the face of the litigation then all those in the loop, from law schools to law firms themselves, have to provide top-notch media training. A big part of that will be how to manage social.
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