Small Law Firms

Have Sympathy For Minnesota Lawyer Eric Nelson... Not THAT Eric Nelson, This Guy!

Make sure you've got the right guy.

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Nothing’s more annoying than the notion that “everyone deserves a lawyer” is a catch-all to protect attorneys from criticism of the work they take on.

Criminal defendants have a right to a lawyer, but unless you’re a public defender, they don’t have a right to you as their lawyer. That’s not to say criminal defense lawyers willing to take on the unpleasant cases aren’t hugely important, but that’s not a constitutional duty, it’s a business decision. And it’s a business decision that lawyers should be able to defend without resorting to romantic pablum about the role of attorneys in society. Gideon is there to protect the defendant, not the attorney’s feelings. If you take the case, you take the side-eye that comes with it.

But let’s agree that in the aftermath of the Derek Chauvin trial, we should all give Eric Nelson some slack.

Not that one… this one:

That’s from the homepage of divorce lawyer Eric C. Nelson, where the completely unrelated attorney has doubtless been fielding some heat from his namesake’s efforts to explain why auto exhaust is more dangerous than having a man choke you to death.

TMZ caught up with the other Nelson:

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We’re told Nelson has been getting BLOWN-UP lately — both online and over the phone. He says about 95% of calls coming in these days are from randos who think he’s the other Nelson, and just wanna talk about the case. Nelson says he’s also getting nonstop hate mail.

Be it via email or phone, Nelson tells us he’s getting a mix of unsolicited advice from would-be experts … plus, a ton of hateful voicemails too.

Speaking of those … TMZ has obtained samples of the messages being left on Nelson’s phone, and they’re ominous to say the least. People have called him a “piece of s***” and levied veiled threats against his practice … suggesting he’s running a crooked business.

Although, maybe we need to cut the defense attorney Nelson some slack too. Criticism is one thing, but threats aren’t appropriate under any situation.

Still, for Eric C. Nelson, he’s at least still able to keep some sense of humor about it, noting that he’d rather been named Thor. On the other hand, there are some high-profile screw-up Thor lawyers out there too, so he should be careful what he wishes for.

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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