Ethix Chex, 0915 ALBJ, 76 The Alabama Lawyer 348 (2015)
| Author | J. Anthony McLain, J. |
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\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0"Someone's Knocking at the Door, Somebody's Ringing the Bell"
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Remember that rhetorical line from Paul McCartney's song "Inside Thing"? And the lyrical response, "Open the door, and let 'em in." The ship has long since sailed on how sacrosanct lawyers and the public view such things as lawyer advertising, targeted mail solicitation, communicating ex parte with another lawyer's client and even the court. If you're old enough to have actually appeared before Judge Frank M. Johnson, you can list the ways the practice of law has changed in the last 35 years. If you're not that old, you probably still have some opinion as to whether the practice of law is like it was "back in the day." And I'm not talking about a horse and buggy, spittoons or courtrooms without air conditioning. Still, lawyering, most believe, is a true calling-a commitment of substantial time and effort to achieve the level of education necessary to qualify to sit for that forever-burned-in-your-mind life-altering experience, the bar exam.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Has the landscape really changed as to the practice of law today, compared to when Judge Johnson, in robe, sat on the bench with a full wall backdrop of the Stars and Stripes? (Pity the poor lawyer who remained sitting while addressing the court or examining a witness.) And those fortunate enough to be there, to experience that sacred time before such a jurist, realized that while there was trepidation seeping into your conscience as you presented yourself as an officer of the court, you were made more respectful and appreciative of the profession and our system of jurisprudence.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Today, bar complaints/grievances reflect a substantial erosion of civility and professionalism among our membership. The anonymity of digital communication grants license to say things which, if standing fact-to-face, most would not say. Does the ever-growing world of social media really amount to "progress"? Technology will allow more "free" time? Has it? Going paperless will save the trees a nd our environment and make us more socially responsible? Sure.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0You've been to those meetings, seminars or just lawyer "networking" socials where eventually the...
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