VOLUME 29,
Letter From The Editor
UMBER 4
PUBLISHER
ARKANSAS BAR ASSOCIATION
The Commercial That Sells
400 \VI. Markham linle Rock, Arkansas 71201
By Stacey DeWiTt
Arkal1sas Bar Association
EDITOR
Stacey DeWitt ASSOCIATE EDITOR, LAYOUT & DESIG
Sara Landis OFFICERS President Carolyn Witherspoon President-Elect Harry Truman Moore Immediate Past President Robert L. Jones III Secretary -Treasurer Frank B. Sewall Executive Council Chair Sandra Cherry Young Lawyers' Section Chair Stuart Miller Executive Director William A. Martin Assistant Executive Director Judith Gray EXECUTIVE COU CIl Teresa M. Wineland A. Glenn Vasser R. Scott Morgan Don Hollinw;:worth Charles L. Carpenter, Jr. Stanley D. Rauls Charles L. Harwell Robert R. Estes Louis B. Jones, Jr. Donald P. Raney Mike Everett MIchael E. Irwin David K. Harp Mark Cambiano Lynn Williams
Thr Arkansas LaWVt'f' (L'SPS 546-{).W) ~ publi~hed quarter1\" by the Aritans.b Bar Association Second eWe; postage paid at Little Roclr... Ark.uls<b POSTMASTER: send address changes ttl l1u Ar,l:l;Ir,sas Lawyrr. -tOO \"'-e;1 Markham. Little Rl"lCk. Arkansas 72201, Subscnption price to nO.Nnembers of tIw Arkansas Bar Associahon $15.00 per year and to member.. 10.00 peT ,ear included in annual dues. Any opmlOn ell;pressed hen'''' is thai of the author. and not necessanly that of the Arkan.s.as Bar Association or n,t! Arkansas Lawyer. Contributions to n'l! Arkf.lllsas Lawyer are welcome and should be sent in two copies to EDITOR, The Arkansas LArllY", 400 \\'e:.1 \1arkham. Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 All inquiries ~ardinK advertisin~ <Jlou1d be sent b."t Thl' .4..rkalls4b LAwyn .1t the aboH' addreo:;..~ .
ommercializing our profession. Some despise it. Othe" bank on it. Whatever your view, the United State\ Supreme Court has put some teeth into the lawyer adveni\ing debate. In June, the Court upheld the Florida Bar's 30 day ban on attorney solicitation of accident victims. The ruling should encourage professional introspection. This issue of The Arkallsas Lawyer offers some thoughtful perspectives on lawyer advertising. Tom Carpenter tracks "The initial impact is clear. the history. Gal) Eubanks and Wendell Griffen debate the risks versus benefits and John Tull evaluates free speech We can regulate ourselves or implications. Take some time for study. The Bar needs operate under imposed your input. restrictions" Henry Hodges is chairing a special committee on lawyer advertising. The committee is charged with examining self-regulation and the impact of the Supreme Court ruling on lawyer advertising in our state. The initial impact is clear. We can regulate ourselves or operate under imposed restrictions. Lavvyer-Iegislators have promised to push a tough bill regulating commercial speech if the profession doesn"t propose its ovvn regulations. The bill was introduced by the Senate Judiciary Commiuee during the last legislative ,ession then put on hold at the urging of past president Bob Jones, 11\ who promised Hodge"s committee and others would do more lhan jusl talk. elf-regulation may be our savior. It should appeal to those on both sides of the issue because it enhances OUf public image and that benefits those who do advertise and those who don路t. Internally imposed \tandard\ give lawyers sub~tance and credibility. External watchdogs substantiate the suspicion that lawyers can"t be trusted. Which product would you buy' Policing ourselves helps us all. Self-regulation is a commercial that always sells.
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Special thallks to Tom Carpenter for his coullsel all this issue.
CORRECTION In the Summer 1995 issue of The Arkallsas Lawyer, we stated that Carolyn Witherspoon graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law. We would like to correct that as follows: Carolyn Witherspoon graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law.