TFP BLOG: How your firm feels about bar associations

Sunday, October 26, 2008

How your firm feels about bar associations

The results are a surprising 50/50 in our latest survey. 50% of our readers work for law firms that encourage partcipation in bar associations -- all of those work for firm that allow time for bar meetings and encourage leadership roles; the other 50% work for law firms that don't -- within that group 17% of those surveyed said their firm impliedly discourages participation. That's an unfortuate statistic.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: my firm pays for 2 bar association memberships but that is about it. They do not support me or encourage me in any bar activities. I recently chaired an event and it was really high profile. The firm benefitted from the marketing that came along with me chairing the event but did not support me by paying for me to attend the function (which was out of state) or support me in any way during the year long planning. So what does that tell you about what firms, or at least what my firm, thinks of bar associations?; October 27, 2008 at 5:01 PM
Madeleine Cag, resident blogger and Tiombe Carter, resident blogger in training said...: I guess a firm's policy for face value does not necessarily equate with its policy for professional value; October 29, 2008 at 10:49 AM

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NYCLA DRAFT DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONALISM

By professionalism we mean a group pursuing a learned art as a higher calling in a spirit that it is performing a public service, a service that is indispensible in a democratic nation founded on the rule of law. This calling is no less a public service because it may also be a means of livelihood. Pursuit of a learned art in the spirit of a public service is the essence of being a lawyer. It implies obligations of dignity, integrity, self-respect and respect for others.

The essence of professionalism is a commitment to develop one's skills to the fullest and to apply them responsibly and with the utmost diligence to the problem at hand. Professionalism requires adherence to the highest standards of integrity and a willingness to subordinate narrow self-interest in pursuit of the more fundamental goal of client service. Because of the tremendous power they wield in our system, lawyers must never forget that their duty to serve their clients fairly and skillfully takes priority over the personal accumulation of wealth. Lawyers must be willing and prepared to undertake zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients while retaining enough perspective to provide those clients with considered, well-informed and objective advice.

Although duties to their clients in particular matters are paramount, lawyers must throughout their careers remain conscious of and committed to the goal of improving the profession and the system of justice. This commitment includes taking personal and professional measures to increase the availability of legal services and abet even-handed and efficient application and administration of the legal system for all segments of society.