Jim Vickaryous

A lawyer sits in a cave home, the only place he is allowed to live. His friend notices that most of his teeth are gone. They were smashed during brutal torture sessions punishing him for being an outspoken advocate. He looks gaunt and has hollow cheeks. Despite the inhumanity visited upon him, his spirit has not been beaten out of him. Thirteen years before, he was imprisoned for representing Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists. He is now out of prison, living under house arrest. He tells his fellow lawyers and family that he will continue to practice law and advocate for the voiceless. It is August 2017 in Yulin City, Shaanxi, China. Soon after his cave side resolution of advocacy, a group of uniformed men arrive and take him away. Gao Zhisheng has not been seen or heard of since. His wife, children, family and friends have no idea whether he is still alive. He has disappeared. Teng Baio, a Chinese lawyer living in America, aptly states that, “Gao Zhisheng is not ‘one of’ the bravest lawyers in China, he is indisputably ‘the’ bravest one.”  Before disappearing in 2017, Geo Zhisheng published Unwavering Convictions: Gao Zhisheng’s Ten-Year Torture and Faith in China’s Future. The book is a testament to what it is to be a courageous lawyer.

Thankfully, we American lawyers don’t need to worry about being imprisoned and tortured for choosing to advocate for the despised in our society. We get to keep our teeth after a day representing our clients in court. We are fortunate that we don’t need the physical courage of lawyers like Gao Zhisheng to ply our craft. Even without the threat of physical injury, practicing law still requires courage. If fact, to be a great lawyer, we must summon courage each and every day.

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