Elisabeth Semel and Cliff Gardner Bemoan Shortage of Death Penalty Lawyers

Los Angeles Times, November 27, 2010 by Maura Dolan
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/27/local/la-me-death-lawyers-20101201

“There are myriad reasons why dozens of lawyers who used to do these cases decide they can’t afford it,” said UC Berkeley law professor Elisabeth Semel. “I am talking about not going broke because you are trying to do the right thing for your client.”

“The idea that you are saving someone who is condemned under appointment by the court seems be the highest calling any criminal lawyer can have,” Gardner said. “Standing between the death chamber and your client is why we went to law school.”