CLE Director's Report
Evidence of a Few Bad Apples Doesn't Mean We're all Rotten by Char/oTle Morrison
O
n our first day of law school, professor after professor told us that our minds were mush and thm after dili-
gent study we would be able to think
like lawyers. Implied in this stale路 ment, we thought, was a guarantee that if we spent much lime and money to earn our degree and pass
the bar, people would now into our office pleading and paying us to do their work. Once in practice. it didn't take long to realize that things don't quite work that way. It's very competitive, and it is imperative to market your tal-
ents - either overtly or covertly. But this can creale major inconsistency.
Not only did our law schools
not offer marketing courses: they instilled the strong attitude that soliciting business or advertising was offensive at best. Unfortunately, a lot of the advertising is insulting - not only to the public. but to the entire profession. But before the whole barrel is thrown away, we
need to remind the public that evidence of a few bad apples does not mean we're all rotten. It is time
we lawyers stop apologizing for being members of our profession, which just happens to be one of the
oldest, most honorable professions the world has known. The reasons why the public views lawyers in less than a positive light is no mystery. (Just watch some of the commercials lawyers run on television, or read the mail one receives after having a car wreck.) Instead, let's focus on some of the more positive aspects of being a member of the
legal profession. Historically, lawyers have made imponant contributions to our country's developmenl. Thomas Jefferson is largely credited with drafting the
Declaration of Independence, and 25 of the 52 signers were lawyers. Two lawyers, Alexander
HamilLol1 and John Jay. worked with James Madison on the drafting and ratifying of the U.S.
Constitution. Lawyers have helped in the development and protection of the basic freedoms guaran-
teed to all citizens by the Bill of Rights. Efforts to dilute the power of the U.S. Constitution often have been defeated because of lawyers who stood finn in its defense. Lawyers provide much of the leadership in our communities as well. We are called "ambulance chasers" and "crooks:' but the problem is that most people do not know the good things we do. Lawyers devote thousands of hours each year to their community and their profession. Various 20
The Arkansas Lawyer
Fall 1995
Legal Services agencies provide representation for the indigent who might otherwise go unrepresented. These agencies cover every county in Arkansas.
Central Arkansas attorneys alone provided 5,552 hours in 1994 for VOCALS (Voluntcer Organization for Cenlfal Arkansas Legal Services) .
Lawyers also do pro bono work for the elderly. In 1994. Arkansas lawyers provided 4,077 hours to AVLE (Arkansas Volunteer Lawyers for the Elderly). oth law schools devote thousands of
B
hours to community service. For
example, UALR School of Law has a partnership in education with
Rockefeller Elementary School in Little Rock. Law students devote their time week.ly to help elementary students with their school work so they will not fall behind their classmates. Fayetteville Law School has a law related education program where law students talk 10 elementary,
junior high, and high school students about the Bill of Rights. the legal system. and the problems of atrisk youth. Both schools have been involved in Habitat for Humanity. food drives that benefit their local areas. and projects to help their local battered women's shelters. This year the Arkansas Bar Foundation has given the Arkansas Bm' Association an endowment to subsidize the registration fee of newly licensed lawyers who are atLending the "Bridging the Gap路' seminar. More experienced lawyers give back to our profession by teaching at this seminar. Not only do they cover substantive areas of law, but they also lake the time to teach the younger lawyers the importance of being professional and ethical in their practice. This is not the only seminar in which lawyers give generously of their time and talents. It happens all year long at CLE seminars; lawyers across the state volunteer their time to teach both the new and the experienced attorneys. e agonize over the public's perceptions of us, and we have good reason to do so. Perceptions tell us some mem-
bers of the public think we are dishonest. difficult to deal with. drag out cases increase fees, represent bad people, and thai . ..
THERE ARE TOO MANY OF US. In light of these perceptions. we have established our own dis-
Ciplinary rules and havc made our disciplinary system more understandable and accessible to the pub-
It is time we lawyers stop apologizing for being members of our profession, which just happens to be one of the oldest, most honorable professions the world has known.
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