Trump attorney urged to flee before she becomes 'radioactive' to future clients
In a deep dive into the career of Donald Trump's new lead attorney Alina Habba who is representing him in his battle with New York Attorney General Letitia James and the Manhattan DA's office, a legal expert and one of Trump's former attorneys suggested she may come to regret taking the former president on as a client.
Put succinctly, by former Trump "fixer" Michael Cohen: "I predict a very bad ending."
According to the Business Insider profile, attorney Alina Habba took a big step up when she took Trump on as a client as she pleads his case before judges who, so far, have not been inclined to rule in his favor as the last week has borne out.
With the report noting that this week, "Habba treated the court hearing like a Fox News appearance, inquiring why the New York state Attorney General's office would not investigate Hillary Clinton instead of Trump. Engoron's law clerk told her several times to stop interrupting him," Cohen told Business insider that being Trump's attorney is putting yourself out there in ways in which you may never come out on top.
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"For Donald, the only option is victory at any cost," Cohen explained. "This even includes having counsel act in ways detrimental to their reputation and career."
Reflecting on how he ended up in jail for doing Trump's bidding, Cohen added, "If she falls down the garbage chute I did, I predict a very bad ending."
According to Randy Zelin, a New York-based attorney and Cornell Law School professor, "The easiest way to get a high profile is to represent Donald Trump. Now is it worth it?"
According to Zelin, having "one client," as in the case of Habba and Trump, can cripple a career.
"Your reputation, and as the old saying goes — it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and about 10 seconds to destroy it," he explained. "You become radioactive. You become typecast. You just can never play any other role."
According to Business Insider, "One lawyer who faced off against Habba in a now-completed case, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it, said they found Habba to be 'perfectly competent.' But having a client like Trump presents risks," the lawyer said.
"In the legal profession, your reputation is everything, your credibility is everything," they explained. "But once you go down the path of being so connected with one person, who may not want you to uphold those standards, you can end up in really difficult spots."
Michael Cohen agreed.
"Hitching your wagon to Donald J. Trump is not a wise move for a young and aspiring attorney. Unfortunately for Ms. Habba, the matters to which she is representing Donald on will have highly skilled counsel that she will need to wrangle with," he stated before predicting, "I don't see her achieving success in these matters."
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