Trump’s lawyers seem like they’re not super great at this law stuff. The worst legal team in history is currently failing to steal the election for Donald Trump and looking like complete fools in the process. Is simply this the result of being a bad lawyer or something deeper? Tim Wu wonders: Is the lawyer bad? Or is it the terrible client who made them this way?

The process of lawyering has potentially powerful effects on one’s conscience and character. To be someone’s lawyer — especially a personal lawyer — is to agree to take their side in a deeply unconditional way. It is to inhabit your client’s world, not in an impartial or balanced manner, but with the stated goal of advancing their interests.

Where does lawyering this bad come from?