ABSTRACT
For many ethical theorists, lobbyists are like lawyers: good lobbyists, like good lawyers, should zealously advocate on behalf of their clients. The practice of lobbying can be understood as an extension of legal representation.2 Just as the justice system should provide defense attorneys (despite any ethical and political reservations those defense attorneys might have about their clients’ interests or guilt), the political system should provide lobbyists who advocate on the behalf of their clients (despite any ethical or political reservations they might have about their clients’ interests or guilt). Following this logic, John Hasnas (2014) argues that lobbying is an essential form of “self -defense,” protecting citizens from unjust government interference in their freedom. Lobbying of the innocent and guilty alike is crucial for political due process in modern liberal democracies. Lobbying is understood as another form of lawyering: just as those accused of crimes deserve a lawyer, those who are vulnerable to political authority deserve a lobbyist.
