Delco re:View Summer 2018 - 19

www.DelcoBar.org

Most importantly, one of the lessons he has taught me
is that there is a human side of this business that is often
forgotten. It is not all about the law. It is about people. It is
not just about solving the client's legal problems or guiding
them through the process. It is about helping people to
understand and address the underlying issues that have
brought them to us. This field is 50% social work. It is
helping clients to see that whatever the challenge or hardship
they have encountered, it is possible to come through it and
become stronger, better people.
Some mornings when he comes into the office, it is like he
is lit from within. He has been up all night, weighing the legal
issues, turning over the problems and questions in his mind,
railing against false allegations and injustices and telling us
his carefully-thought-out plans to destroy them. It is really
something to see when all of his skills as a legal technician
meet the fire of righting the wrongs - and I am inspired by
his energy and his determination.
Ethics is not a catch phrase in our office, and it is not just
found in an annual two-hour CLE that makes you compliant
with your credits. It is how you conduct yourself every single
day, beyond reproach.
When I say that there is not enough time for me to list all
of the things that I think I have learned from him, it is true -
but I will try to name a few.
Guy's Unspoken Rule # 1: Whatever it is, it has to
be done right. By that, I mean, with honor, integrity, and
truthfulness.
Sir William Blackstone in 1765 is known for a quote that
is now known as "Blackstone's Ratio," which goes something
like this: "It is better that ten guilty persons go free, than one
innocent suffers..." The message being that government and
the courts must err on the side of innocence.
With that in mind -
Guy's Unspoken Rule # 2: Get the best possible outcome
- but don't get discouraged if we don't win. Remember to
ask: Did we fight hard for it? Did we do everything in our
power and do as much as possible to fix it and improve the
situation? Life is not perfect. We are not in paradise. We are
not going to win every single case - but there will not be
anyone who works any harder for it than Guy Smith. There
will not be anyone with a photographic memory who has
studied the client's file inside and out to make sure he is the
most prepared person in that courtroom. Last but not least -
Guy's Unspoken Rule # 3: You need to care what
happens to people. There has to be an element and level of
empathy. An understanding that, whatever the legal issue is,
it is keeping our client up at night. That is what makes a good
lawyer.

I am a fan of classic literature and a bit of a film buff
- which, I admit, at times, may color the way I see things.
Marlene DiGiacomo, who formerly covered the court hearings
for the Daily Times, once quoted me as saying that Guy is like
the "Atticus Finch of Media" referring to Gregory Peck in "To
Kill a Mockingbird." You know, a straight arrow, unassuming
and honest, despite public opinion and the constraints of the
day, the one who quietly defends those who seem, at times,
indefensible. How about Gary Cooper in the old West in
High Noon? Over the years, I learned about his "gunslinger
mentality" in court. It is trial time. You need to pay close
attention and watch your opponent, you need to know his next
move and plan for it. But at the end of the day, you need to be
standing on the side of right and on the side of truth.
Working for Guy Smith does not just make all of us at our
firm better at our jobs, it makes us better people. You really
want to do the absolute best that you can, because you know that
he does.
I never try to call him in the morning if there is no court. I
know that he did not go to bed until 4 a.m., how? Because that
is about the time his emails are flying around cyberspace about
our cases, emails full of things that are on his mind, or more
accurately, the people who are on his mind.
He has made a difference in the lives of so many. He is up at
night with his mental list, working it out in his head like a math
problem, figuring how to put things back together for so many
people. He is an overworked insomniac, finding ways to pull one
more bunny out of his hat for a client.
It is my distinct pleasure to be here among the members of
the legal community to recognize you for 50 years of exemplary
service to the community as "2018 Lawyer of the Year"! *
Editor's Note: Thank you, Eileen, for your contribution to this
issue of the Delco re:View Your enthusiasm and commitment to
excellence is to be commended.

Harris & Smith

G. Guy Smith
Attorney at Law

300 W. State St., Suite 108
Media, PA 19063-2639

Phone: 610-565-5300, Ex. 104
Fax: 610-565-7292

E-mail: GGuysmith@aol.com

Summer 2018

| 19
http://www.DelcoBar.org
Delco re:View Summer 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Delco re:View Summer 2018
