Gabriel Moreno’s Book Launch, ‘The Passer-by’, London
I have known Gabriel since I was 6 years old and he, 4 years old; a few decades ago, now! Gabriel is a Gibraltarian author, poet and singer-songwriter who has performed in Gibraltar, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, USA and Peru in the last 20 years. His folk songs are both poetic and political, exploring similar themes as Leonard Cohen, Fabrizio Dandre and Georges Brassens.
‘The Passer-by’ is a collection of poems which showcases the experience of urban life through snapshots of the poet’s psyche and the lives of Londoners. The author presents aspects of his identity and his experience through characters such as The Gas man, The Policewoman, The Spy or The Flower Lady, who carry the projections of his own fears and desires. Gabriel uses London as a modern metropolis, a backdrop full of traumas, tragedies, aspirations and laurel wreaths. What is the role of the poet in a dehumanised and consumerist capital?
I ask myself, what is the role of the client when in the hands of de-humanised and consumerist lawyers?
One of my former clients says in his testimonial of August 2018, “Amber was very sensitive and human with me from the first interview, which was very emotional. She treated me like a person, like a friend from day one… not like a client” (Joey Baglietto).
Have lawyers also become, ‘de-humanised’ in their treatment of their clients? Is the primary focus now on billing (consumerist) rather than our duty of care (a human approach) towards clients? I found it profound that a client implies being treated, ‘like a client,’ means being treated in an inhuman, impersonal or unfriendly way, by the legal profession. Yet this is a testimonial I have heard countless times in my career.
Gabriel connects with the dehumanization and consumerism of so called ‘civilised society’ and shares this point of view powerfully with his readers. I hold the faith that Holistic Lawyers, Lawyers who practice as Leaders and Peacemakers, will continue growing in numbers, globally, so that no client has to ever feel objectified or used by the very person whose role it is to serve and protect; to advocate for and empower.
For further information, please contact: amber@amberlaw.com
