[DrewDevil]

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Drew,

Please forgive any naivete or wanton ignorance that follows, but I'm curious about these:

(1) If I'm thinking about committing a crime, can I walk into a lawyer's office and discuss the potential legal ramifications with him, and he would be "glad" to help me?

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The attorney-client privilege does not apply if the client communication is for the purpose of committing a crime or tort.

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(2) Along this same line, how do you handle dealing with clients who do things you find to be morally reprehensible, if in fact you have/do have to? Is this quite common and simply part of any lawyers job?

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I don't really have to deal with this much, as I don't do criminal law. Family law certainly brings out the devil in people, but most of the time, if a client is doing something immoral, it's also illegal, and I'm not required to assist in illegal activity.

I have had to do things I find morally repugnant, such as deposing an elderly grandmother about her sex life with her husband since he contracted mesothelioma. Unfortunately, since one of her claims was for loss of consortium, I had to ask those questions. I didn't like it.

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(3) Along this same line, has your view of human beings changed since becoming a lawyer and hearing of all the crazy things people do?

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Not really, I have always pretty much thought of people as being capable of both stunning goodness and unspeakable evil. Being a lawyer has not changed that opinion.

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(4) Also, can people "shop" for lawyers, as in visit with a few for a free initial consultation, in order to find one that he thinks he can work best with?

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The overwhelming majority of legal work in the USA is generated by referrals, but certainly there are people and companies who interview multiple lawyers and law firms before choosing them.

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(5) If I had a legal issue concerning, say, internet law, how important would you say it is to find a lawyer that "specializes" in internet law?

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Depends on how complex the issue is and how much money is at stake. If you are craigslist, you want the best internet law firm in the USA on retainer. If you want to draft a terms and conditions page for your blog, you can probably use a "regular" contract lawyer.

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(6) Do you know of lawyers who "gossip" about their clients around the office, or is this completely unheard of?

Thanks!!

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Lawyers tend to "talk shop" around the office, so maybe they are gossiping about their cases. I don't hear a lot of gossip about clients' personal lives, but I'm sure there is plenty of that too.

I do think lawyers tend to be very careful about revealing privileged client information to non-lawyers or lawyers at other firms, or they better be.