via
Getty)
Ed.
note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature,
Quote
of
the
Day.
Rights
can’t
just
exist
in
dusty
law
books,
recited
in
classrooms
and
promptly
forgotten,
or
in
tiny
font
in
contracts
most
of
us
don’t
read
and
can’t
understand.
And
rights
can’t
be
reserved
just
for
corporations
and
wealthy
individuals
who
can
pay
for
legal
representation.
Few
chapters
in
our
history
have
more
directly
called
on
our
profession’s
skills
and
obligations
than
this
one.
The
private
bar
must
now
step
up
in
defense
of
equal
justice,
or
we
will
all
fall.
—
Kathleen
Rubenstein,
former
executive
director
of
the
Skadden
Foundation,
in
an
essay
published
in
Bloomberg
Law,
where
she
calls
upon
lawyers
to
defend
the
rights
of
others
during
a
time
when
the
rule
of
law
is
under
attack
by
the
Trump
administration.
In
the
wake
of
Skadden’s
deal
with
Trump,
Rubenstein
resigned
from
the
Foundation
“rather
than
endorse
actions
that
[she]
believe[s]
will
undermine
its
mission.”
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 Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.