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Bar News - April 4, 2003 'Did You Hear the One About the Lawyer Who...?' By: Marty Van Oot President’s Perspective …VOLUNTEERED AT THE local homeless shelter? Helped a young mother find an apartment? Biked across Massachusetts to raise money for the Jimmy Fund? Drafted ordinances for the planning board in her town? Coached the community center’s soccer team? Chaired a successful United Way Campaign, or raised money for the arts? Worked with troubled teens? Every day across New Hampshire, lawyers give generously of their time and their skills, contributing countless hours of time to make their communities and this state a better place in which to live. Many members of this Bar volunteer to provide legal services to the less fortunate through the Bar’s established Pro Bono and Reduced Fee Referral programs, and those services can be roughly quantified through the record-keeping of those programs. I know that many more lawyers in this state apply their problem-solving skills and energy to serving others in a myriad of other settings, not just to "network" or to add non-profit entries to their resume, but because they recognize that a license to practice law is a privilege that comes with an obligation to give something back to the community. The American legal system has increasingly become the focus of public scrutiny and frustration. The under-funding of our courts will undoubtedly lead to further criticism of an already beleaguered profession, as more citizens find their access to justice limited. For example, a recent study by the ABA, "Public Perceptions of Lawyers," (April 2002) found that the American public has four main gripes about lawyers: "[l]awyers are greedy; lawyers are manipulative; lawyers are corrupt; and the legal profession does a poor job of policing itself." As a member of the New Hampshire Bar for more than 20 years, I believe that these public perceptions are simply inapplicable to the vast majority of New Hampshire lawyers, and I am asking each of you to prove me right! The Bar needs your help in recognizing those among us who take our obligation of public service seriously. Over the next few months, we will be asking each of you to answer the question: "Did you hear the one about the lawyer who…?" Please tell us about your own volunteer work, whether through the Bar Association, court-sponsored programs like Rule 170, or in your community through work in the school system, your church, community boards or in non-profit organizations. If you know of other lawyers in your community who have volunteered their services, please tell us about their work. We would like this information for several purposes: to quantify by the number of hours or to otherwise measure the enormous contributions NH lawyers as a group are making to the public good; to identify lawyers whose volunteer work will make compelling stories that will humanize attorneys and combat the tired stereotypes that plague our public image; and to develop a directory or online resource of lawyers interested in applying their skills in particular areas to match them up with organizations that could use their help. As Law Day approaches, take a few minutes to remember why you chose the law as a profession, and what you can do to restore the pride we each felt upon becoming a member of the New Hampshire Bar. Marty Van Oot practices with the Concord law firm of Orr & Reno and is the 2002-2003 NHBA president. |
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