Vol. 70, No. 10,
October 1997
President's Report:
No Time to be Timid
By David A. Saichek
It is a predictably short step from lawyer-bashing to intimidation of
the judiciary. This year our Judiciary as a
Co-Equal Branch of Government Commission studied the concepts of separation of powers,
court accountability, community collaboration and the building blocks for
interbranch cooperation. The report was adopted unanimously by your elected
governors, and President Sorenson has asked Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice
Jon Wilcox and me to cochair an implementation committee.
The Board of Governors also overwhelmingly adopted the report of our
Violence and the Justice System Commission that currently is being implemented
under the direction of cochairs Joan Kessler and the Hon. Gerald Nichol.
We met these issues as an organized bar should - with solid research,
open debate, definitive recommendations and the courage to call for action
- for this is not a time to be timid. We did that while going full-steam
ahead with our initiatives in technology, online CLE, an award-winning Internet
presence, public education and innovations for the delivery of legal services
to low-income citizens. Our cable and broadcast TV initiative has grown
in strength and diversity as a proactive means to reach out for public understanding
of legal issues and lawyers.
On a personal note, I enjoyed my two years as your president-elect and
president. Our success is attributable to a capable staff serving hundreds
of volunteer lawyers. Special thanks to members and cochairs of the two
commissions and to chair of the Board of Governors, Robert Goepel, and to
Nathan Fishbach and Maria Lazar, coproducers of the "Law
Talk" TV programs. My sincere "thank you" to all State
Bar members for giving me the opportunity to serve. |