Some Bungee Jump; Mark Bennett Practices Law
Some folks gamble. Others bungee jump, or climb mountains.
Mark Bennett practices law, along with his attorney wife, as a criminal defense lawyer working out of their home in Houston. Being responsible for another human being’s freedom is a thrilling job for a lawyer, “very gratifying when we can help someone and upsetting when we can’t,” he tells the Houston Chronicle. “It’s alive. It’s a field of the law that’s alive. We’re doing things that really do matter.”
Although he is an independent practitioner, Bennett, who is president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, also notes there is strength in numbers in a profession that can be unpopular. Members of the bar association are connected by e-mail, which helps them mentor young lawyers and protect colleagues who are threatened with contempt.
Asked by the newspaper what he tells people who ask him how he can justify defending criminals who are guilty, Bennett says it’s part of his job.
“How could I not? It’s what I’m called to do,” he says.
