The unforgiving minute.

• Author: Marchetti, Jr., L. Gino
• Position: Appreciation for year in service - President's page

If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son! These last few lines from Rudyard Kipling's immortal poem, If, very beautifully and accurately describe the effort of all the IADC colleagues with whom I've had the pleasure of working during this past year as President.

When I was asked two years ago what legacy I wanted to leave as President of the IADC, my response was heartfelt and immediate. I responded that my hope was that at the end of my term, no one would remember my name. Rather, it was my sincere desire that members of the IADC and others would recall all the great accomplishments of the IADC during my year as President.

I was once advised by a mentor to, "Be good, but if you can't be good, be brief, and people will think you're good." I will adhere to that advice in this, my last President's Page, but wanted to express my sincere appreciation for all those with whom I've worked this year. Your support has been tremendous and allowed the IADC to continue its many efforts to meet the challenges facing our members.

I attended a recent meeting where we were advised of the changes in the legal landscape as we know it. One researcher notes that between 2003 and 2015, 79,000 legal jobs will be outsourced overseas. We were told there are more English-speaking law students in India this year than in the U.S. Technology, globalization as well as standardization of legal services has increased exponentially in recent years. There is increasing emphasis on the need to balance work with one's personal life. Changing generational attitudes and retention of associates are additional issues facing those of us in the legal profession. The challenges are increasing the pressure on maintaining the professionalism in our practices while facing increasing demands for cost-cutting, cost containment and profitability. Meeting those challenges and providing a forum for the discussion and development of processes to meet these challenges is one of the goals of the IADC.

In my previous President's Pages, I called for a continuing commitment to excellence and increased participation by IADC members. IADC members answered that call. Later, I discussed the increasing pressures where professionalism and the ethics of our practice have been sacrificed at the altar of profitability. In various programs, the IADC is addressing this issue...