“Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident? That Judge Taylor might have had his reasons for naming him?”
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 22. Miss Maudie in reply to Jem, when he asks her to name another person who attempted to help Tom Robinson aside from Atticus. Judge Taylor gave Atticus the case because he knew he would do his best to defend Tom and convince the jury of his innocence.