Last week a local Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorney was arrested and charged with smuggling drugs to one of his in custody clients. The same thing happened to another Valley Defense Attorney less than a year ago. As an Arizona Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law who has been practicing Criminal Law in the Valley for over 21 years, I always am concerned when a fellow lawyer gets into this kind of trouble.

In criminal defense it is sometimes very easy to become personally and emotionally involved with not only the client, but their loved ones as well. This is because even minor criminal charges often affect whole families, making an attorney’s job even more challenging because so much is at stake.

This is why the State Bar of Arizona makes it crystal clear that an attorney must maintain their professional integrity at all times. In this instance, it appears the lawyer was not only engaging in illegal activity on behalf of his client, but was also having a sexual relationship with the Defendant’s sister in exchange for smuggling the drugs.

My purpose here is not to shame the lawyer involved, but simply to illustrate the pitfalls and temptations that can lead to the tragedy which will impact all the persons involved. I write this in part to warn younger or less experienced lawyers to always remember that your clients are depending on you for the best legal representation you can provide and that stepping over the line is not only harmful to your client, but it may well destroy your entire career. This is why it is important to remember your ethical obligations and not lose sight of your sacred duty as a sworn Officer of the Court.

However, this does not mean that we cannot give prospective and actual clients compassion and respect. Reassuring and supporting loved ones in a sensitive but appropriate manner is far from impossible. In fact it is one of the major tenets of the Palmisano Law Firm. We pride ourselves in responding to our clients and their loved ones as individual human beings and we recognize that many criminal cases have emotional aspects which can be supported by our staff in a respectful and helpful manner. It means that we treat each client and their families as individuals who come to us for not only the highest quality legal representation, but also for the singular attention they simply won’t find at other firms.