When Golriz Ghahraman pleaded guilty, her lawyer argued strenuously against a conviction as this might deny her the ability to practise as a lawyer. However, she copped a female judge who was unmoved and convicted her anyway. Gloriz doesn’t know how lucky she was.
Here’s why.
Go back 60 years and lawyers were treated almost as demigods. The reason for that was there were very few of them.
But in recent decades they’re a dime a dozen. Seemingly everyone these days has a law degree, albeit only a few ever get to use it and when grilled, can’t explain why they sought it in the first place.
Additionally, six and more decades back only a small percentage of the population went to university. The same thing applied to medicine and as with lawyers, doctors were treated with deferential awe.
This glut points up the understandable difficulties which arise when teenagers, barely out of childhood, are asked to make career decisions without realising that law and medicine aint all they’re cracked up to be.
I know heaps of lawyers still practising over 50 years of age. Most rue their career decision, moreso and particularly with barristers, as from 60 onwards they’re often forced into early retirement through lack of clients.
Anyone pursuing litigation who’s been round the block is fully aware that the best barristers who will apply enthusiasm for the cause, are usually in their late 30s.
So too with medicine.
There’s a massive shortage of doctors throughout the western world, for a very good reason.
While to a 17 year old being a doctor sounds prestigious, nearly all, after a decade or so in practise, wake up to what a horrible job it is, daily dealing with the pervading negativity of the sick and elderly. But by then, hamstrung with a family and a mortgage, it’s too late to get out.
Surveys show over 50% of British GPs want out, thus as indeed with New Zealand, increasingly the profession is dominated by Indian and African doctors, fleeing their homeland for the more financially rewarding advanced economies.
When Labour were rightly bum-rushed out of office last year, virtually the entire cabinet and all but two of their senior cabinet members, did not stand again as they sought more edifying final working years than rotting on the opposition benches, minus their former Cabinet Ministerial limousines, constant foreign travel, higher salaries and other perks.
The two exceptions were first, their leader Chris Napkins whose pre-parliamentary life was in diverse effective office boy roles with existing politicians, and former senior Cabinet Minister and lawyer, David Parker.
Over his political career, whether standing for the Party leadership or on three occasions as a candidate, Parker always copped a hiding, due in my view to his pervading negativity and unpleasant face.
In an overcrowded field he could not hang up his shingle as a lawyer, nor would any existing practice take him on given his certain inability to attract clients, thus thanks to the list system, he sees out his working life in the tedious and unsatisfying opposition MP role.
So back to Golriz. Now in early middle-age God only knows what she can do to earn a living. But if her conviction stops her from a law license, she should rightly view that as a blessing.