Reply #9: Trying to Disguise Lord Black

[UpInArms]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2007...

On the eve of perhaps the most important trial of his storied, 35-year career, defence counsel Edward Greenspan jolted forward in irritation upon hearing his client referred to as "Lord Black."

"He's not Lord Black," Mr. Greenspan asserted. "He's Conrad. This matters to me a lot. The prosecution want to call him Lord Black to create a total class distinction; to make him look like he's better than regular folk. The expression evokes envy, maybe even disdain for who he is; that they are bringing down a big guy. They want to create as much prejudice in the air as they can."

On the other hand, Mr. Greenspan acknowledged, there is no denying that his client is an internationally known, corporate magnate charged in a massive fraud. "That is reality," he said. "He is a lord. But they can call him Lord Black. We will call him Conrad Black."

With Lord Black's fraud trial scheduled to begin today, Mr. Greenspan's outburst provided clear evidence that Canada's best-known criminal lawyer has rounded into fighting form.

But blunting Lord Black's image as a haughty aristocrat is merely one of Mr. Greenspan's problems. He must also counteract what his former law partner, Marie Henein, called "a real public distrust of corporations and corporate management. . . an almost religious fervour."

...more...