Christ's Advocate

I spent the day today in the Ontario Court of Appeal. I have been researching and helping the lawyers prepare for this day for two weeks and it finally came. Today was a special day in court, because it was the day where accused people who were convicted could appeal their sentence or convictions. The spin on the appeals was that the accused (appellants) were unrepresented by defence counsel... meaning that they had to do the appeals themselves or rely on duty counsel.

(Duty counsel = a lawyer who is not retained/hired by the accused/appellant, but will still speak on their behalf; usually with very little preparation or knowledge into the case).

I was amazed to hear some of the arguments put forward. "My sentence is too harsh" from one man who had been previously convicted 12 times, of driving with a disqualified license. What a menace to other drivers on the road! At the same time, there was a part of me who couldn't help feeling badly for some of these men (I can say men because today all of the appellants were men... not a single woman, except for the prosecutors!). I have to wonder about their upbringing. I doubt many were given the same opportunities that I was given.

And I found myself judging them and I was so ashamed of myself. In my role as a student at the prosecutors' office, it is my job to assist the lawyers in seeking justice. As a Crown attorney, we do not seek convictions, but rather ensure that all accused are given access to a fair trial and the justice system. It is clearly not in the interests of the public to secure a conviction where the accused is innocent, and so, where there is not enough evidence, an accused should be acquitted.

Unfortunately for most of the men in court today, they were all guilty and then sentences they were serving, were appropriate and fit, given their circumstances. But again, I was disappointed in myself for judging them for the wrongs they had committed. It is not my place to point fingers at them. Our justice system is punishing them, and ultimately, they may meet an even harsher punishment. So in the afternoon, instead of judging the inmates that were brought in to argue their cases, I prayed for them - one by one. I prayed for reformation, rehabilitation and renewal.

More and more I believe that the Lord has not only given me the gift of advocacy and being opinionative and assertive for my future career, but maybe he has given me this gift to fight for injustice in other places. Currently, my church is having a series on living for Christ 24/7. Members of the church have been asked by the speaker, Bryan Karney, to talk about what that means to them in their daily life and even in their careers. My dad was asked to speak at the first service on this topic. My father is a criminal defence lawyer and many find it difficult to understand how he manages to defend people who have committed some pretty horrible crimes.

To this, my father compared his role as a defence lawyer to Jesus' role as an advocate for the weak and poor, to the unwanted and unloved and to those who were social outcasts. Jesus did not judge these people... he prayed with and for them. In my job, I know I will encounter some pretty awful people who have done some pretty awful things, but I pray that I will be able to approach them as Jesus did, with compassion and a prayerful heart. And, what's more, someday, maybe the Lord will see fit to use my as His own advocate - proclaiming and arguing the truth of His Word and His Message.