"It might be pardonable to refuse to defend some men, but to defend them negligently is nothing short of criminal"
About this Quote
Refusing a bad client may be forgivable; halfheartedly taking the case is a moral felony. Cicero builds a ruthless hierarchy of blame that flatters the profession while tightening the noose around it. The line turns on a sharp contrast: “pardonable” versus “criminal.” One is a lapse of generosity, the other a betrayal of duty. By escalating negligence into crime, Cicero isn’t merely scolding sloppy advocates; he’s insisting that once you step into the role of defender, you inherit an obligation that overrides personal distaste, political calculation, even self-protective caution.
The subtext is as Roman as a marble bust: public life runs on performance, and performance carries consequences. In the late Republic, trials were political theatre, reputation warfare, and factional combat all at once. An advocate didn’t just interpret facts; he curated a citizen’s standing and, by extension, the credibility of the courts. Negligent defense becomes “criminal” because it corrodes the civic bargain: if representation is optional in quality, then law becomes another instrument for the powerful to punish the inconvenient.
Cicero also slips in a self-portrait. He made his name as an orator, and his ethical pitch doubles as professional branding: the good advocate is not a hired tongue but a custodian of justice’s appearance and operation. There’s a hard-edged realism here. He doesn’t pretend all men deserve defense; he’s too seasoned for that. He argues something colder and more demanding: if you choose to defend, you must do it well, or you’re complicit in the harm your incompetence enables.
The subtext is as Roman as a marble bust: public life runs on performance, and performance carries consequences. In the late Republic, trials were political theatre, reputation warfare, and factional combat all at once. An advocate didn’t just interpret facts; he curated a citizen’s standing and, by extension, the credibility of the courts. Negligent defense becomes “criminal” because it corrodes the civic bargain: if representation is optional in quality, then law becomes another instrument for the powerful to punish the inconvenient.
Cicero also slips in a self-portrait. He made his name as an orator, and his ethical pitch doubles as professional branding: the good advocate is not a hired tongue but a custodian of justice’s appearance and operation. There’s a hard-edged realism here. He doesn’t pretend all men deserve defense; he’s too seasoned for that. He argues something colder and more demanding: if you choose to defend, you must do it well, or you’re complicit in the harm your incompetence enables.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
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