1972, April, Pg. 43. Law Day.

• Author: Stevens P. Kinney II

1 Colo.Law. 43

Colorado Lawyer

1972.

1972, April, Pg. 43.

Law Day

431972, April, Pg. 43Law DayStevens P. Kinney IIStevens P. Kinney II, Denver, is chairman of both the Denver Bar Association and Colorado Bar Association Law Day Committees.

One of the glaring weaknesses of bar associations has been the inability to project a responsible image to the rest of the community. This has been reflected by recent surveys which show the lawyer and the practice of law low on the prestige scale of professional people. It is sometimes further reflected in the legislative halls where a bar association-sponsored piece of legislation is automatically looked upon with suspicion. Sometimes these suspicions arise because the lawyer is sometimes an advocate for unpopular causes or the defender of "criminals." Perhaps more often they arise because of the profession's failure to accurately define its role to the public, and its failure to accurately define the role of law as it affects each citizen of our country. Bar associations do have occasion to illustrate to the community the bar's role as a responsible profession within the community, and these opportunities should not be lost.

The Lawyer in HistoryThe role of the lawyer in the history of our nation has been paramount. The law has a proud history; the profession of law has furnished more national leaders than any other profession or calling. Because of his education the lawyer should be more familiar with the rights and responsibilities of the individual as they relate to our form of government and the very strength and fiber of the United States of America than any other person.

Today, the very system which we as lawyers and judges helped to develop is under the strongest criticism that it has ever faced. To some extent this criticism is justified, but often it is not based upon fact, reason, or logic. The lawyer must take it upon himself, individually and collectively through his bar association and other community activities, to truly educate and enlighten the community to our system of laws and how it pertains to all individuals.

Unfortunately both the lawyer and the bar association have fallen down in their obligations to educate and inform the public as to this interplay of the lawyer, the law, and the system of government which relates to the individual. This can be...