Ethically Speaking
| Publication year | 2014 |
| Pages | 52 |
| Citation | Vol. 37 No. 6 Pg. 52 |
(ALMOST) TWENTY YEARS OF ETHICALLY SPEAKING
John M. Burman Emeritus Carl M. Williams Professor of Law & Ethics University of Wyoming College of Law.
As I look back at almost 20 years of writing over 100 articles about legal ethics for the Wyoming Lawyer, I am surprised at two things. First, at how much has changed. Second, at how much has not changed. Before discussing those two issues, I want to describe what the Wyoming Lawyer has allowed me to do in the last two decades.
Since February 1996,[1] I have been a regular contributor to the Wyoming Lawyer. All the columns I have written have been about legal ethics, though the connection with ethics has been a bit strained at times.[2] Even so, over the last 19 years, the magazine has published approximately 110 articles about ethics. All told, that is over 400,000 words, which represents an astonishing commitment to publishing articles about legal ethics (I doubt that any other subject has received even a small fraction of that coverage[3] ). While I am rather biased, nothing is more important to Wyoming lawyers than providing regular coverage about ethical issues.
The Wyoming Lawyer Then
Te physical appearance of the Wyoming Lawyer in 1996 says a lot about the publication. First, the cover was always a black and white photograph. Second, the journal was some 30 pages long. Third, the publication was essentially a newsletter. Te February 1996 issue (pictured above) contained two substantive articles. A new “Ethical Issues” article, and an article about “Child Support [4]
In addition to the new article about “Ethical Issues,” the February 1996 Wyoming Lawyer had another “feature:” a “profile” of the Hon. Elizabeth Kail.[5] As it does now, the publication contained notices about Wyoming law farms. We learn that in early 1996, the firm of Davis & Canon was “pleased to announce” that John C. McKinley and Nancy D. Freudenthal had joined the Cheyenne office, and that Robert D. Rogers had joined the Sheridan office.[6]
One of the most interesting parts of this look back has been the opportunity to peruse previous articles I wrote (it is also rather humbling to read things one wrote many years ago). It is also interesting to think about all those persons who have been involved with the Bar.
Presidents of the Wyoming Bar serve one year terms. There have been 19 since I began writing (Gerald R. Mason was the President when I began writing[7] for the W y o -ming Lawyer.) Executive Directors can stay longer. I think there have been six, including the current one (the Executive Director in 1996 was Tony Lewis.[8] ) Te smallest turnover has been with the editors. There have been only two (Linda Tangeman was, if I remember correctly, the editor in 1996).
The Wyoming Lawyer Today
Today, the Wyoming Lawyer is a very professional looking publication. Each issue features a cover with a full size color photo, and a format that is easy to read. Te publication has gone from being a mere newsletter to an award-winning bar journal. A big part of that improvement has been an increase in the length of the magazine to allow for the inclusion of better and longer articles about substantive issues. Te June 2014 issue, for example, is nearly 70 pages long, and, in addition to the “Ethically Speaking” column, contains several substantive articles.
Several years ago, an...
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