Our higher calling.

• Author: Schifino, William J., Jr.
• Position: The Florida Bar - President's page

When I was a young boy, my friends would ask, "What does your dad do?" I was so proud to answer: "My dad is a lawyer."

Even back then, I saw the positive, lasting impact a lawyer can make on the life of another--and in our community.

I chose to become a lawyer because of the important role we play in our democratic society. What we do is so much more than a job. Lawyering is a profession that demands we exercise independent judgment, work for a common good, defend the rule of law, right injustices, and use our skills to help keep in check the powers of government.

What lawyers do really matters:

We work to protect our most valuable resource, our children.

We help injured people recover from the wrongs inflicted upon them.

We help rid our streets of criminals.

We defend the rights of the innocent.

We help our clients' businesses grow and create jobs.

We help developments come out of the ground.

And the list goes on.

It doesn't get much more important than that, does it?

Yes, we know we lawyers are caught in shifting times. The legal industry is in the midst of great flux and the demand for legal work is changing.

We know there is pricing pressure from clients, and technology is expanding in the legal marketplace at a rapid rate. We will continue to discuss how we do a disservice to the people we are duty-bound to serve if we don't challenge ourselves to adapt to our changing world.

As we navigate together through these challenging times, we must remember our ethical rules, which define how we must behave and our commitment to professionalism, which defines how we should behave.

But take comfort in knowing it is as true today as it was a century ago: Our clients, the consumers of legal services, need lawyers for...