Law is cool

I really like this guy:

David P. Baugh loves the law and loves being a lawyer. He's a Richmond criminal-law attorney who has made a reputation representing the good, the bad and the ugly -- all with vigor because the system promises every accused person a competent defense.

"Every time the government loses a criminal case, the wall that separates the citizens from oppression is shored up just a little bit more," he said.

Baugh, 58, described the kind of lawyer he is by saying he is "a better lawyer than I am a human being. I believe in the canons. I believe in the rules and I try to abide by them." He said he is dedicated to the law and fortunate to be in that profession. "It's lucrative. It's important. And it's sort of cool," he said.

How is it cool? "In the old days when the cattlemen and the sheepherders would get in a war, they'd hire a gunfighter," Baugh said. "Now they hire a lawyer."

One of the canons Baugh tries to abide by calls for lawyers to perform "pro bono" legal work for little or no compensation. The term comes from the Latin phrase "pro bono publico," meaning for the public good.

On April 26, Baugh will be presented the 2006 Lewis F. Powell Jr. Pro Bono Award for his work in pro bono defense of the First Amendment, "his zealous defense of indigent criminal defendants in complex court-appointed cases for nominal compensation" and his dedication to teaching other members of the criminal defense bar.

The Powell Award is named for the late justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from Richmond. It will be presented during the annual Virginia State Bar Pro Bono Conference at the University of Virginia.

You can read the whole story here.