‘In the past year about ten threatened lawyers came forward to me,’ says Henrichs. ‘Two months ago there were even three in a week and a half. Clients are inspired by the murders of Derk Wiersum and De Vries. They threaten their lawyer: if you don’t do what I say, I’ll come with my machine gun.’
According to the dean, this mainly concerns family law lawyers. ‘For example, in a disputed divorce, the wife’s lawyer is threatened by the husband. Such people are frustrated. This used to be expressed in name-calling, now in real death threats. They are often expressed in e-mails, they are that stupid. It fits in with society’s trend towards hypocrisy, as you now see those threats against politicians and scientists.’
Hotline for lawyers
For such matters, counselors can also reporting line call, of the Dutch Bar Association. ‘They can do little in the area of security,’ he explains. ‘Local blankets can do that: I call the chief officer, the detective officer or the local policy advisor for Surveillance, Security and Crisis Management for a quick security analysis. As a dean, we try to see which route is the best and help to file a report at the right counter.’
The liquidation of Derk Wiersum, in 2019, was a turning point, says Henrichs, who has supervised more than six thousand lawyers in the Amsterdam district over the past four years. ‘The obvious pleasure in the profession, the open-mindedness, has partly disappeared. Lawyers sometimes look over their shoulder, fearful of what might happen. Some have chosen a different specialization because they think: criminal law is no longer fun. Others have retired early.’
Integrity among colleagues
As dean he was very concerned with integrity among colleagues. For example, he initiated a discussion about defending multiple suspects from one organization, which he says ‘create at least the appearance’ of a conflict of interest. The National Dean Council is now working out guidelines on this. The number of disciplinary cases, initiated by him among others, regarding the lack of professional distance from a client, has also increased sharply in recent years. ‘Lawyers have to get used to the idea that it is no longer self-evident that everyone thinks they have integrity. We are viewed very critically by the outside world.’
Interview Evert Jan Henrichs: ‘I’m done fighting’ https://contenteditor.dnr.persgroep.net/story/62e38d3fdb50b8541c4a45b6