it's a nasty job but someone's got to do it.

so, i have a friend who has just completed his law degree in cambridge. i was telling him about the case discussed in the thread above, and the vile tactics employed by the defense lawyers. my friend is a very nice and respectable guy, but he's not half as disapproving as i expect. he was basically of the opinion that if you're given the job of defending such people, you are basically forced to use these kinds of argument. he also said that if given the opportunity to defend such people, he would definitely take it, and probably use similar (although maybe not quite so extreme) methods.

to what extent does "someone has to do this job" defend certain behaviour that is inevitable(?) in the course of said job? have you ever been forced to do something nasty and repellent in the course of your work? to what extent do you sacrifice your morals to survive/get ahead in the workplace?