TFP BLOG: December 2010

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What keeps you up at night?

Everyone who responded to our survey was concerned about unemployed lawyers. Whether you are unemployed or not, the vast pool of unemployed lawyers is a concern to us all. The next nightmare that kept people awake was offshore outsourcing--indeed, related to unemployed lawyers--below is a link to an ABA article by Debra Cassens Weiss about one law firm management member who is not kept awake at night by outsourcing. I wonder why not..... http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/kl_gates_chairman_sees_outsourcing_as_gnat_in_an_elephants_ear/
Finally, readers are kept awake at night by civility (or lack thereof, one would assume). Surprisingly, no one was losing any sleep over mandatory retirement and judicial independence. I wonder why.....

I have been remiss in my blogging duties this end of the year. Apologies for that, my New Years resolution is to step up my blogging and to enlist guest bloggers to share this platform, anyone interested? send an email to nyclablogger@gmail.com if you are. For everyone else, check out the latest survey and let us know YOUR New Years' resolutions.

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.