President's Page
| Jurisdiction | Alabama,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 76 No. 2 Pg. 0092 |
| Pages | 0092 |
| Publication year | 2015 |
Richard J.R. Raleigh, Jr.
rraleigh@wilmerlee.com
Attorneys Uniquely Qualified to Contribute to Alabama Legislature
On behalf of the Alabama State Bar and me, thank you to our Alabama lawyer-legislators. Your leadership is vital to the continued success of Alabama. Other articles in this issue of The Alabama Lawyer discuss the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, the creation of which was an early step toward citizens being able to guarantee their own rights, and helped us along the path to representative government.
Despite a common misconception, very few of our representatives-our Alabama legislators-are lawyers. Numbers have been declining for many years,1 and there are several reasons for this. It is a large personal and financial sacrifice. Lawyer-legislators balance practice and family commitments with long hours working at the statehouse. For most, the pay they receive for serving as a legislator does not make up for their loss of time in practice.2 After adding long campaigns, and attacks from media and challengers, the thought of becoming a legislator loses much of its appeal. With a long regular session, committees meeting throughout the rest of the year and special sessions being called to deal with emerging issues, the concept of a part-time legislature itself may be outdated.
Attorneys play an important role in the Alabama Legislature. A legislator is a lawmaker, and lawyers are uniquely qualified, by virtue of their education and work background, to contribute in a positive way to the quality of the Alabama Legislature. The training they received in law school makes them particularly suited for the job. Their education on the Rule of Law, statutory construction and constitutional dictates gives them expertise on writing and interpreting laws, and helps them draft more effective legislation. Because of their training and expertise, our Alabama lawyer-legislators are often sought out by other legislators for their opinions or for assistance in drafting or interpreting legislation. Our lawyer-legislators are particularly helpful on the Judiciary Committee, and other key committees. With issues this legislative session to include court fees and costs, prison reform and other matters touching on the administration of justice and the courts, our Alabama lawyer-legislators will be called upon often to provide insight and advice.
We also have a number of lawyers working...
To continue reading
Request your trial