Charles Dickens Ethical Issues

There is a reason the U.S. Supreme Court Justices tend to quote Dickens frequently in their opinions: he usually some good points about the law. When it comes to legal fees, Dickens often pontificated as to whether it was ever possible to have a fair trial when money determined the quality of representation. Two hundred years later and on the opposite side of the Atlantic, this issue is still ripe for debate because regardless of all the services available; social equality in the law does not exist - particularly when it comes to the mentally ill or disabled. This paper will discuss the ethical issues surrounding legal fees, examine the options for representation available, and touch upon how this affects the mentally ill or disabled - a group