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Bar News - January 7, 2005 Reflections Upon Nomination As President-Elect By: Richard B. McNamara Nomination by the Board of Governors to serve as President-Elect for 2005-2006 has led me to reflect on my relationship with the Bar Association. From the day I became a New Hampshire lawyer, I was interested in the activities of the Association. As a new lawyer, I saw the Association as a symbol of the profession and was glad to be a part of it. While membership in the Association has always been required, my interest had nothing to do with that fact. Rather, I felt an almost intuitive desire to be involved with an organization of fellow lawyers. It is an interest that appears shared by other New Hampshire lawyers, who last spring voted that the Bar remain a unified bar by a 3-1 margin. Why do New Hampshire lawyers believe that it is important to belong to the Bar Association? I think that it is because lawyers share common values and beliefs. As a profession, we are not universally loved. In fact, we are often reviled. As advocates, our job sometimes requires us to be aggressive with adversaries - and while we for the most part conduct ourselves professionally, we are at times professionally obligated to be extremely critical in pointing out the flaws in our opponents' arguments, for example, or in negotiating agreements. Such adversarial conduct requires emotional strength and emotional stamina, and is difficult for any human being. Yet, as a profession we come together more than those in most others; and I think that's so because our common values and experience so far transcend our differences. Most lawyers are thoughtful people, and very few lawyers lack opinions. We have in New Hampshire, as elsewhere, very conservative lawyers, very liberal lawyers, male lawyers, female lawyers, and lawyers of virtually every philosophical and religious persuasion. Our views, as a group, are diverse. But what unites us, whatever our political, religious or social views or areas of practice, is our common acceptance of one core principle - that the rule of law is the principal safeguard of individual liberty. We know that the lawyer drafting a will so that a parent can pass on property to a loved child, or a lawyer establishing a corporation so that a woman can fulfill her dream of beginning a business, or the lawyer advising a government agency so that it can function as effectively and efficiently as possible, are all working to create a just society as much as the prosecutors and defense attorneys in a criminal case. As a group, lawyers believe that liberty exists only when ordered by law; that the rule of law is the protector of the weak, the guardian of individual rights and provides the structure that allows people to pursue their individual notions of happiness. While we may often disagree about how best we can accomplish bringing about the rule of law, our collective devotion to the principle never wavers. What brings us together as lawyers is that we recognize that our disagreements are disagreements within a system designed to accomplish a goal upon which we all agree. It is with that in mind that I look forward to service as President-Elect in the year 2005-2006. The Association presents an opportunity for like-minded people to work together to carry out a common purpose which all of us believe is critical to the functioning of a just society. Working with the Bar provides wonderful perspective. It provides an opportunity to focus on the real meaning of what we do every day as lawyers. I invite each of you to consider whether or not you have time to serve the profession by becoming more actively involved with the Association. Richard B. McNamara practices law with the Wiggin & Nourie law firm in Manchester. The President-Elect is nominated by the Board of Governors and appears on the Board of Governors election ballot. Candidate for the other positions up for election this year will be nominated by petition. The petition is published on page 21. |
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