Sam Rabin (Photo via Twitter)
Imagine that you’re an attorney in Miami, Florida, and you need to attend a federal sentencing hearing for a client. Miami just so happens to be a coronavirus hot spot but you need to be there in person because this is far too important to do online. You can’t leave your client alone in court.
What do you do?
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Unprecedented times like these call for unprecedented measures. The Daily Business Review has the scoop on what one lawyer did to protect himself.
When Miami criminal defense attorney Samuel J. Rabin Jr. got out of his car and began walking down the street in a full hazmat suit, gloves, respirator mask and face shield, two police officers pulled up, rolled down their car window and said, “Is there something we should be worrying about?”
“I’ve got to go to court,” Rabin told them.
Once inside, Rabin says security officers and marshals shouted, “I don’t blame you, man!” Not long after, his fashion choice started to gain traction on Twitter.
Sam Rabin is a legend. This is what he wore to federal court today in SDFLA. pic.twitter.com/EzbE2PZVWh
— David Oscar Markus (@domarkus) June 30, 2020
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“It would have been a nice touch if he had worn a tie on the outside of the hazmat suit,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Miguel M. de la O tweeted.
According to Rabin, “The judge had no issue with me wearing it. She understood, quite frankly, and wasn’t upset about it in any way.”
People are lauding Rabin as a hero — as they should. Congratualions to Sam Rabin on being a model for what lawyers should strive to be when it comes to developing meaningful client relationships and advocacy.
How far would you go to help one of your clients during a pandemic?
‘I Don’t Blame You, Man’: South Florida Lawyer Turns Heads by Wearing Full Hazmat Suit to Federal Court [Daily Business Review]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.