Saturday, March 15, 2008

Welcome to the First Post -- We want your Input

Fostering a sense of professionalism is something lawyers and their bar associations have always done. One of NYCLA's core purposes at its founding roughly a hundred years ago was "to elevate the standards of integrity, honor, and courtesy in the legal profession."

With the increased public attention on lawyers these days--and often with an emphasis on their frailties and excesses--it seems especially important, now, to take stock.
  • What does it mean to be a lawyer in New York City?
  • Has that meaning changed and if so, for the better or worse?
  • To the extent professional values can be defined and are widely shared, what can be done to instill and promote them?
  • What can the various segments of the profession (courts, law schools, bar associations, law firms and other law offices) realistically accomplish, and are they doing enough?
  • What can be done to improve the public perception of lawyers and the role they play in society?

This blog was put together in conjunction with NYCLA and the special task force it created under the aegis of its Justice Center and its Ethics Committee to bring focus to these issues.

Jim Kobak (the chair of the NYCLA Task Force) and I welcome your answers to the questions posted above and any other comments you may have.

Keep checking in with us as we will regularly bring you interesting updates as well as our professionalism questionnaire (once we figure out how to allow you to download it from this blog). But in the meantime, give us your comments on the questions above and it will be practice for when the questionnaire is available.

Thanks and regards,