President's Message
Our public image - the need to respond NEWSLETTER OF THE CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, B C BRANCH
"One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out af prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny."- Bertrand Russell . A recent survey completed be the Wtth the greatest of ~spect to
Bertrand Russell - philosophers may be able to hold public opinion in disdain and continue to fulfill a useful and productive role in society -lawyers do so at their own peril.
American Bar Association (ABA) and reported on in the September, 1993 issue of the ABA Journal, seems to dispel that concept and relegate it to the category of a 20th century urban myth.
Many of us involved in issues affecting the legal profession have JANUARY/1994 taken a measure of comfort from the traditional view that while the profession as a whole may have serious image problems, our individual clients hold us in high regard and recognize the signifiVOLUME 6 cant contribution we make in pursuit of the ideals of our honNUMBER 1 ourable profession.
The ABAsurveydiscovered some trends which should be of concern to all members of the legal profession. The most significant trend can be summarized in the starkest of terms as follows:
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United Way tally ...................... 2 Legislative Update .................. 5 Conflict of Interest .................. 7 Queen's Counsel named ........ 7 Section Talk .............................. 9 Moot Competition ................. 11 Registry answers .................. 12 Council highlights ................. 13 (
Career alternatives ............... 14
wee compliance ................... 15
"It seems that the more contact a person has had with lawyers, the less favourably he or she is inclined to feel about them. "
]. Parker MacCarthy CBA (B.C. Branch) President 1993/94
Many among us have contended that insofar as the public opinion is concerned, to really know us is to love us! Accordingly, the critics of the legal profession could be characterized as not really knowing us. Not so says the ABA (Please turn to page 3)
Law Day activities set for April Tim Delaney, chair of the Law Week '94 Planning Committee reports that plans are well underway for a wide variety of events and activities during Law Week in B.C., April17 to 24. This year's theme is '~c颅 cess to Justice: Families and the Law" to coincide with the United Nations Year of the Family. Volunteers are required for the Dial-A-Lawyer and Student/ Lawyer Mentor Program. Details are included with this BarTalk mailing or you can call the B.C. Branch office at 6873404 for more information. An open house is planned for the new Vancouver Provincial
Court at 800 Hornby Street on Sunday, April 24, 1994. Events planned included mock trials, the finals of the Barry Sullivan Public Speaking Competition, court tours, and displays. A public forum at Robson Square Conference Centre is also being planned. Local Law Day Planning Committees are at work in over 15 other communities in B.C. and are planning similar activities. If you are interested in finding out what programs are being developed in your community or would like to volunteer for Law Week activities, please call the B.C. Branch at 687-3404 for further information. []