Disbarrment time in D.C.?

Today’s a pretty big day for the future of democracy in the United States. Not just because it is Law Day, but because Law Day is being commemorated pretty ironically as the man with a very checkered past currently serving as the Attorney General of the United States testifies to Congress about why he didn’t mean the things he said to get the job and why, apparently, the current occupant of the White House should be free to obstruct justice if he is frustrated.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a rare situation in which a corporation sued its former GC for what was essentially a legal malpractice claim and mentioned that, if nothing else, it served as a good reminder for lawyers who represent organizations that it is the entity, and not the CEO or its other officers, that are the client.

Many moons ago when I thought that Jeff Sessions might end up being the worst AG we were going to get under the current administration I wrote about the fact that the AG always needs to remember that the President is not the client.

The fact that we now have an AG who appears to be even worse is certainly proof of the small and meaningless nature of my voice, but also still more proof of how important the distinction between who is the client and who is not should be.

Of course, as an exchange with Atrios that I’ve had today on Twitter bears out, rampant lying by the person who is arguably the most prominent lawyer in the nation is – in addition to being an existential threat to democracy in this instance – not a good look for our profession as a whole.

So, happy Law Day, I guess.