--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a defense lawyer, he refused to…" description: "\"As a defense lawyer, he refused to condemn his clients. Everyone else in the system-the cops, the prosecutors, the juries and judges-would take care of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/scott-turow-3838_care_as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condem_2620468.png" --- # As a defense lawyer, he refused to condemn his clients… ![“As a defense lawyer, he refused to condemn his clients. Everyone else in the system-the cops, the prosecutors, the juries and judges-would take care of that; they didn't need his help.” quote by Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/scott-turow-3838_care_as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condem_2620468.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/scott-turow-3838_care_as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condem_2620468.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/scott-turow-3838_care_as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condem_2620468.png) > “As a defense lawyer, he refused to condemn his clients. Everyone else in the system-the cops, the prosecutors, the juries and judges-would take care of that; they didn't need his help.” [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lawyer may avoid direct involvement, trusting the system to handle justice. **In simple terms:** Delegating responsibility to institutions. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of personal influence. Themes ethics law responsibility Mood cautious reflective Type ethical analytical When to use this quote - courtrooms - policy advocacy - corporate governance - non‑profits Key Concepts legal theory institutional trust Questions to Reflect On - When should you intervene personally? - What are the risks of passive compliance? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on system can enable neglect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Prosecutors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecutors/) ## Related quotes > [“When in court, the primary role of lawyers is not to prove or disprove innocence; unbeknown to almost all lawyers and their clients, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/when-in-court-the-primary-role-of-lawyers-is-not-to-prove-or-disprove/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Prosecutors tend to love conspiracy charges because the rules of evidence are easier, meaning you can get more in to help prove a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shuster/prosecutors-tend-to-love-conspiracy-charges-because-the-rules-of/) [David Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shuster/) > [“As a prosecutor, you've got the burden of proof. As a defense lawyer, all you have to do is introduce a tiny doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/as-a-prosecutor-you-ve-got-the-burden-of-proof-as-a-defense-lawyer/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The lawyer refused to tell me my brother's name, and my colleagues started a betting pool. The leading candidate: John Travolta. I secretly hoped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-simpson/the-lawyer-refused-to-tell-me-my-brother-s-name-and-my-colleagues/) [Mona Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-simpson/) > [Practically, every defense lawyer knows that the jury desperately wants to hear from the defendant and that the only reason not to put him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/practically-every-defense-lawyer-knows-that-the-jury-desperately/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Anne Marie Smith flew to Washington to tell prosecutors about Gary Condit's attempt to get her to deny their affair. It looks bad. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/argus-hamilton/anne-marie-smith-flew-to-washington-to-tell-prosecutors-about-gary/) [Argus Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/argus-hamilton/) > [Imposition of the death penalty is arbitrary and capricious. Decision of who will live and who will die for his crime turns less on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-heaney/imposition-of-the-death-penalty-is-arbitrary-and-capricious-decision/) Gerald Heaney > [The major networks, the cable networks, they're being prosecutors. They're judges and jurors and executioners. Well, c'mon, that's ridiculous. But they're doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-major-networks-the-cable-networks-they-re-being-prosecutors-they/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We do have certain protocols in place with respect to doing the investigation by the FBI. And then prosecutors at the Department of Justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-gonzales/we-do-have-certain-protocols-in-place-with-respect-to-doing-the/) [Alberto Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-gonzales/) > [Most of the prosecutors I know are good people who are committed to protecting us from those who would prey on us. But these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-darden/most-of-the-prosecutors-i-know-are-good-people-who-are-committed-to/) [Christopher Darden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-darden/) > [It's not a cost of doing business when the corporation executives go to jail, and that's why they fight so hard to make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/it-s-not-a-cost-of-doing-business-when-the-corporation-executives-go/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [I respect very much the role of the media in our society; I think they can be very, very helpful. They serve as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-gonzales/i-respect-very-much-the-role-of-the-media-in-our-society-i-think-they/) [Alberto Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-gonzales/) > [I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-asking-my-attorney-general-to-create-a-special-unit-of-federal/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [People say I've had brushes with the law. That's not true. I've had brushes with overzealous prosecutors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-edwards/people-say-i-ve-had-brushes-with-the-law-that-s-not-true-i-ve-had/) [Edwin Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-edwards/) ## More by Scott Turow > [I'm of that generation of Jews still deeply influenced by the Holocaust. Certainly the notion that the state power to kill can be subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-m-of-that-generation-of-jews-still-deeply-influenced-by-the/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I cannot think of a day in my life when the library didn’t exert a potent attraction for me, offering a sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-cannot-think-of-a-day-in-my-life-when-the-library-didn-t-exert-a/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Widespread public access to knowledge, like public education, is one of the pillars of our democracy, a guarantee that we can maintain a well-informed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/widespread-public-access-to-knowledge-like-public-education-is-one-of/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I'm an ambitious person, and Harvard makes me feel successful, just having gotten in here. That's the ugly side of why I'm proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-m-an-ambitious-person-and-harvard-makes-me-feel-successful-just/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [My sister was a twin, and the other baby died in childbirth, and I was three at the time, and I always kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/my-sister-was-a-twin-and-the-other-baby-died-in-childbirth-and-i-was/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [After a week, it's better. I miss her. I mourn her. But some peace has returned. She had been so unattainable - so young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/after-a-week-it-s-better-i-miss-her-i-mourn-her-but-some-peace-has/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [There are lots of things about Amazon for which they deserve credit. They're innovative. There are lots of very, very happy Amazon customers. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/there-are-lots-of-things-about-amazon-for-which-they-deserve-credit/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Postmodernism cost literature its audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/postmodernism-cost-literature-its-audience/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Libraries function as crucial technology hubs, not merely for free Web access, but for those who need computer training and assistance. Library business centers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/libraries-function-as-crucial-technology-hubs-not-merely-for-free-web/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [That led me to say that when push comes to shove, I'm against capital punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/that-led-me-to-say-that-when-push-comes-to-shove-i-m-against-capital/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I hate second-guessing other lawyers because I know that I've tried and lost cases, and somebody could sit there and say, 'Should have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-hate-second-guessing-other-lawyers-because-i-know-that-i-ve-tried/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [The issue is not whether there are horrible cases where the penalty seems "right". The real question is whether we will ever design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/the-issue-is-not-whether-there-are-horrible-cases-where-the-penalty/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [“It was crime at its purest, in which empathy, that most fundamental aspect of human morality, evaporated and another being became only a target…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/it-was-crime-at-its-purest-in-which-empathy-that-most-fundamental/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [“You accept that it happened. But you know that life burned this hole in your heart and it's not going to heal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/you-accept-that-it-happened-but-you-know-that-life-burned-this-hole/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > ['Presumed Innocent' was written over a six to seven year period with intervals in between where I was figuring out the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/presumed-innocent-was-written-over-a-six-to-seven-year-period-with/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) [Explore all 118 Scott Turow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a defense lawyer, he refused to condemn his clients. Everyone else in the system-the cops, the prosecutors, the juries and judges-would take care of that; they didn't need his help.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Turow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condemn-his-clients-everyone-else/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Care" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condemn-his-clients-everyone-else/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/scott-turow-3838_care_as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condem_2620468.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/scott-turow-3838_care_as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condem_2620468.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/scott-turow-3838_care_as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condem_2620468.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a defense lawyer, he refused to condemn his clients. Everyone else in the system-the cops, the…” — Scott Turow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Scott Turow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a defense lawyer, he refused...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condemn-his-clients-everyone-else/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/as-a-defense-lawyer-he-refused-to-condemn-his-clients-everyone-else/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```