The worth of a good lawyer

I was disappointed yesterday to see that the special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald did not indict Karl Rove, the architect of the Bush Presidency. According to the news story in Los Angeles Times, Rove escaped indictment at the last moment by submitting an evidence (e-mail), which cast doubts about him lying in one of his earlier testimonies to the grand jury. Prosecutor Fitzgerald, being a fair and thorough person, wanted to verify that before charging him with perjury. Rove should credit his last minute escape to his lawyer Robert Luskin whom he hired recently. The fact that Luskin is a Democrat did not bother Rove, because he knew that getting a good lawyer makes all the difference in a case. The lowly government prosecutor usually is no match for a top-notch lawyer in the caliber of Johnny Cochran. Such sharp lawyers can blow away strong evidences like the testimony of an eyewitness or even a blood trail. The ‘not guilty’ verdicts in the trials of Michael Jackson and Robert Blake are examples of this. Yes, a good lawyer is worth his weight in gold (if you can afford, that is).