But what's false is that the responsibility of the failures in our legal system should fall solely on the shoulders of lawyers. There are plenty of other bad seeds around: the doctors whose diagnoses can be purchased at a price, the judges whose lack of concern is reprehensible, the plaintiffs who seem to have no other occupation than to file claims against everyone and everything they encounter.

Even more importantly, it's essential that we not become so mired in what some lawyers do wrong that we overlook the positive aspects of the profession. I can say with complete honesty that the majority of lawyers I have encountered in the past two years actually care about their clients, are extremely knowledgeable, and operate within the constraints of the existing legal system. They're collecting a salary, but they're working for it--work that ultimately serves to help people lay claim to the retribution they deserve, that peacefully settles potential conflicts and that is ultimately much more complicated than the mere paper-pushing they're often accused of.

Which is what a lot of the pro se filers in Time's article ultimately discovered--that lawyers are an essential tool for navigating the countless forms and petitions, statutes and stipulations that constitute our legal system. It's easy to join in with the lawyer-haters, but it's unlikely that anyone can get through life without needing the services of one at some point or another.

So before you decide to represent yourself in contesting last week's fender-bender in front of a no-nonsense, tough-as-nails local judge (a stereotype that is, in fact, completely warranted), take a long moment to consider whether or not you know your subpoena from your subpoena duces tecum, or your gross estate from your gross lease. Then give me a call--I'd be happy to recommend someone to help you figure it out.

Alixandra E. Smith '02, a Crimson editor, is a government concentrator in Kirkland House.