Gloria Allred has been in the news.  She “represents” a woman who claims to have been sexually harassed and assaulted by Herman Cain.

I put represents in quotation marks because the form of representation is different than the normal representation attorneys do for their clients.

Attorneys are taught in law school that when the represent a client, they owe a duty to that client to pursue the best interests of the client within the ethical rules.  The attorney must zealously represent the interests of the client but cannot allow the client to lie or commit fraud.

That’s what I don’t get.  What interest is Gloria Allred pursuing for this woman?  I can’t see any.  Further, how does going on the Today show, and other national news broadcasts help the client?  I can’t imagine.

You may remember when Gloria Allred “represented” a Hispanic woman who illegally worked for Meg Whitman.  Gloria Allred held a major news conference in which the woman told her story.  Many believe that Meg Whitman lost the California gubernatorial election over the issue.  I’ve scratched my head wondering how that Hispanic woman was benefited by those news conferences.  Common sense tells you that illegal immigrants do their best to fly under the radar.  Illegal immigrants do not hold press conferences proclaiming their legal status.

I hate to say it but I see only one person who benefits from the publicity.  That person is Gloria Allred. She gets free advertising and presumably picks up clients as a result.

I’m embarrassed to be in the same profession as Gloria Allred.  She puts her own need for publicity ahead of her clients.  She does not uphold the noble tradition to which attorneys should aspire.