Legal Ethics

Hey, Maybe Don't Call Your Client An 'Idiot And A Terrible Criminal'

Who's the real idiot?

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No one is saying that you have to love every client you ever have, but maybe refrain from putting them on blast on social media. That seems like the bare minimum you can do to meet your professional obligations. But if everyone did that, well, what would we at Above the Law talk about?

Iowa defense attorney Chad Frese is representing the man accused of killing college student Mollie Tibbets, but that’s not why his name is in the news today. No, it’s because of his representation of another, unnamed client. That client was concerned Frese had a privileged background that would prevent the attorney from connecting with the jury. In response to this completely reasonable concern, Frese took to Facebook and complained that his client was an “(expletive) idiot and a terrible criminal” and went on to ruminate, “You wonder why we need jails huh?” As the Des Moines Register reports:

The Associated Press obtained a screen shot of the post in which Frese recounted meeting this week with another defendant to prepare for a trial involving federal gun and drug charges. He wrote that he was “flabbergasted” when the man said Frese would have a hard time connecting with blue-collar jurors because he hadn’t “had to work for anything in your life.”

Frese said he took offense because “anyone who knows me” is aware of his modest upbringing, and he called the man an “(expletive) idiot and a terrible criminal.”

“He needed to shut his mouth because he was the dumbest person in the conversation by 100 times,” Frese wrote. He added, “You wonder why we need jails huh?”

Yeah, this is an attorney, writing about an actual client. You can get your jaw off the floor.

Frese removed the Facebook post after the AP asked him about it. Which, duh, but after going on social media to complain about client communications, you can’t really get the toothpaste back in the tube.

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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