😭 Mr. Lawyer!
A rigorous defense is not about whether one deserves it; nor is mercy. If you only give people what you think they deserve, that’s payment. A defense within a system of law is meant to ensure that everyone else is also following the laws and procedures set forth—here by the gods, and in life by systems of government. It’s the QA of a society built on law rather than on other forms of authority and power.
mercy and compassion are extended to the deserving and undeserving alike. Otherwise, that kindness is something else—a form of reciprocation. Nothing wrong with that, but they’re not the same things.