The Bricks and Mortar of the Legal System

• Publication year: 2003
• Pages: 69
• Citation: Vol. 32 No. 10 Pg. 69

32 Colo.Law. 69 Colorado Lawyer 2003.

2003, October, Pg. 69. The Bricks and Mortar of the Legal System

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69

Vol. 32, No. 10, Pg. 69

The Colorado Lawyer
October 2003
Vol. 32, No. 10 [Page 69]

Features
CBA President's Message to Members
The Bricks and Mortar of the Legal System
by Robert J. Truhlar

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in."
(Wolf, in The Three Little Pigs)

"Our mortar is dry and you can try."
(Bob Truhlar, 2003)

The image of bricks laid one at a time to build solid straight walls and square-cornered buildings brings to mind the characteristics of strength and endurance. Brick walls hold fast, as in "it was like running into a brick wall." We all learned early in our lives from the fable of The Three Little Pigs that a brick house "rules." We consider buying bricks for an institution of our choice, such as the many people who bought a brick to contribute to the fine new College of Law at the University of Denver. Recently, at my church, the youth group traveled to Mexico to build a Habitat For Humanity home. We bought construction paper bricks and placed them on a community-room wall to help finance the trip

The bricks of our legal system are strong in Colorado. The foundation lies firmly in our State and Federal Constitutions. A well-developed state, county, and municipal court system is in place. Fortunately, and wisely, the public has seen fit to support the building of new courthouses around the state. Our judiciary is competent and committed to justice. We can be proud of our merit selection system. It is among the best in the country. In Colorado, our legal system has a foundation of solid bricks

Lawyers Serve as Strong Mortar

The essential bond of a strong wall is its mortar. Mortar binds many strong bricks to form a more useful and durable whole. Similarly, lawyers hold the legal system together. They bring the ingredients of specialized training; continuing education; high moral character; and concern for their clients, the poor and disadvantaged, and the public.

One area in which lawyers have become an essential mortar-like component is in providing pro bono services. Many people have limited access to the judicial system due to their economic circumstances and their inability to deal with a complex legal system. Others find themselves forced into the legal system involuntarily by circumstances...