Fall 2020 | 5
From the President Reflecting on the times in which we find ourselves, I continue to dwell on how we as lawyers establish justice and how these times demand that we do so with more compassion towards ourselves, one another and every person we encounter. The stability of our society depends on how our leaders ensure that valid criticisms of our institutions, including the justice system, are resolved. We as lawyers are a stabilizing force in society. Our minds are disciplined to solve problems regardless of emotions. Experiences have taught us to listen with compassion because of the suffering we have observed through our work in the justice system. by Heather Lindsay
As officers of the court, we are tasked with establishing justice as we pursue the legitimate interests of our clients; in doing so, we are also pursuing the general good of society. This becomes a critical service to society in times when people observe that access to equal justice depends on a person’s race and economic status. Studies have proven that humans calculate race as a factor in decision-making despite best intentions. Hundreds of years of social engineering cannot be eliminated in a few generations, but we can continue to work at realizing ideals through open and compassionate conversation about how to improve the justice system to promote equality. Through honest discourse, which our trained and self-disciplined minds allow us to do better than many, we can inspire hope that we as a nation can achieve the ideals of our founding documents. These times call upon us to be resilient. People are under stress because of job loss, illness, death of a loved one, lack of trust in elected officials, lack of confidence in scientists and lack of hope that there is equal justice under the law. Substance abuse, depression and anxiety are likely to increase across every demographic group, including lawyers, in the coming year as our society learns how to respond and adjust to COVID-19 and its health and economic impacts. As colleagues, we can provide one another mutual support to respond to the challenges these times will present to our clients, our firms, our loved ones, our communities and ourselves. As president in the coming year, my goal is to strengthen our association to sustain the resilience required during the challenges ahead.
