Legal Ethics

Attorney Calls George Floyd A 'Sh*tstain,' And Other Awful Things Lawyers Are Doing Right Now

Everything is just the worst.

By  
on

Are we at the point in 2020 where nothing is really shocking anymore? I mean, probably. This country’s deep racism and profound protectionism of white privilege (well — even more than usual) has been on display since the violent murder of George Floyd compounded the horror over the deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and mixed with the outrage over Christian Cooper’s treatment in Central Park and the heavy burden of COVID-19 the black community was shouldering due to systemic health inequalities that spilled over into protests around the nation.

While many are taking the opportunity to reexamine the ways they’ve benefited from systems of oppression, that is not what everyone is doing. Like South Carolina personal injury attorney David Traywick. He’s taken this moment in history to use social media to engage in a shameful degradation of George Floyd’s character, and participate in the disgusting tradition of valuing money over the lives of black people.

These ugly words are circulating social media:

And if you’re depending on legal ethics to put this guy in his place, well, you’re going to be disappointed, as a tipster notes:

Unfortunately, SC has not adopted the ABA’s rule 8.4(g) so there’s very little the Bar can do to censure him, at present, though I expect they’ll be taking this rule up again soon. The alternative is getting his colleagues and potential clients to vote with their wallets…

But, of course, that’s not the only incident of lawyers behaving badly. Connecticut attorney Norm Pattis — a controversial attorney who has represented InfoWars radio host Alex Jones — made incendiary remarks, as reported by the Connecticut Law Tribune:

Sponsored

“Call me privileged, and the first thought that comes to mind is: What do you want?” Pattis wrote. “What tax shall I pay in the name of your view of distributive justice? I suffer from White Male Fatigue Syndrome.”

And in a social media exchange with Aigne Goldsby, outgoing president of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association and diversity director of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section, Pattis doubled down on his hurtful sentiments.

Goldsby, who said she’s since been blocked from Pattis’ LinkedIn page, wrote to him saying, “This is the most white privilege nonsense I have ever read. If you want to understand why this is wrong and actually help eliminate racial injustice instead of being a part of the problem, feel free to reach out.”

Goldsby said Pattis’ response “was totally disrespectful and bullying.”

Pattis responded: “I suspect I would run circles around you in my sleep. Be an entitled race panderer. Pick up your bed and walk. Founder of Black Esquire? Show us what you can do not what you are. Good riddance to you.”

Goldsby disagreed.

“The race pandering hash tag was disrespectful and inauthentic,” she said. “If anyone is race pandering, it’s him.”

Goldsby said she decided to speak out because Pattis “is holding himself out as an advocate for justice and the voice for freedom and he can’t have these ideologies because they can’t co-exist with each other.”

Goldsby continued: “He is not acknowledging his white privilege and not using his privilege in the right way. He was also outright rude in his conversation with me.”

Goldsby said of Pattis’s behavior, “He essentially threatened me and my friend, and was nasty in the language he used.”

But, unfortunately, there’s more. (Of course there’s more, there’s always more.)

Sponsored

The South Carolina Bar sent an email to its membership taking a stand “against injustice, racism and discrimination.” And affirming their commitment to making a positive difference:

“We are committed to the principle of equal justice for all and will join our communities in reflection, conversation and action to make a positive difference in South Carolina and the United States.”

But not everyone was there for that message. In a opaque reply-all message, prominent Florence, South Carolina, attorney Reynolds Williams said, “Stop.” That’s it. That’s what he wrote, just “Stop” to the entire bar association:

As Fits News says of the comment:

That’s right … he told the association to “stop.”

And no, Williams did not follow-up by saying “collaborate and listen,” which would have turned his email into a nifty Vanilla Ice lyric.

Not to mention a much better commentary on the current divisions rocking this country …

What was Williams thinking?

Or better yet … was he thinking?

These incidents are deeply depressing and don’t provide much hope for the legal profession at a time when we need it most.

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).

Topics

, , , , , ,