Preaching to the choir

Just so you know, I take client confidentiality pretty seriously. If there are degrees of ethical rules, that one would be the top dog. Well that and the rules against monkeying with client money. But I'm a public defender, so I don't deal with money. So the confidentiality is my big one. It really should be for any criminal defense attorney because if our clients don't trust us, we can't do our jobs.

I don't talk about my clients. I don't talk about the facts of their cases and all the things that didn't make it into the public record. I never, ever share my opinions about my clients, their cases, etc. I will talk over legal issues with other defenders, of course, because talking through issues makes them better. But the really good, juicy stuff?  I have to keep my mouth shut.

Can I just tell you how frustrating it is not to be able to talk about this thing that consumes the majority of one's waking hours?! I mean, I'm not like a volcano that's gonna blow any day now. I will continue to maintain my clients' confidentiality. But, man, there are days when I seriously want to hire a therapist or hire someone on as a consultant for an hour or two just so I can unload.