The real maverick
Ralph Nader talks tough in UB Law appearance Ralph Nader's reputation preceded him, and the crowd started lining up early for the political activist's appearance at UB Law School.
They were not disappointed. Nader – a Harvard trained attorney – entertained and challenged especially the law students in his audience with frank words about legal education, the legal profession and lawyers' responsibility to work for the public good.
True to form, he used his bully pulpit to encourage students to find a way to make a difference in the world, not just serve the economic interests of those in power. Practicing law, he said, is a profession, not a trade, and "a profession has an obligation to prevent that which it is skillfully trained to deal with. You are going to be going into a profession that has a monopoly, and there is a moral imperative accorded to that.
"What is the demand for justice in this country, and to what extent are lawyers representing those who are in a position to have to demand justice because they are being ripped off so badly or being subject to the corrosive effects of power or simply being mistreated by other people?"