Vol. 77, No. 6, June 2004

Responsibility and Privilege

by George Burnett

There are two small walnut plaques in a modest conference room on the second floor of the State Bar Center. These plaques contain 107 small brass plates. These plates list the name and term of office of each past president of this Bar Association. These plates list great names among Wisconsin lawyers: McCann, Wilcox, Trowbridge, O'Melia, McNulty, and Rosenberry, to name a few. With rare exception, each person listed had the honor of serving this profession as president for a single year. With that great honor came great responsibility: to ensure the profession was safe and secure for another year and that its dedication to the service of the public did not wane.

This year, the accomplishments of this Bar Association, and especially the selfless lawyer volunteers and dedicated staff members responsible for those accomplishments, should make us proud.

We focused on assisting our members to succeed in the practice of law. Therefore, next year this Association will have a program that provides members valuable advice about solving the administrative and business problems involved in managing a busy law practice. We began webcasting CLE programs and our producer, a company of national stature, told us our programs were the best they had ever seen developed by a bar association. We modernized our award-winning Web site to make it even better. We created a manual to help lawyers and law offices alike in nontraditional work options, so that fewer lawyers need to make an all-or-nothing choice between profession and family. We formed a new section devoted to the concerns of lawyers who represent farmers and the businesses that serve farmers. We undertook a training program, named in the memory of past Bar president Leonard Loeb, to assist young lawyers in learning the art of practicing law.

We also made this Association more efficient and responsive. This year marked the completion of a four-year project to modernize our Association's rules and bylaws. We thoroughly studied and adopted a series of recommendations to improve this organization's political lobbying. We created a program to identify, develop, and support future Bar leaders, so as to ensure that we never lose our dedication to this profession, a dedication that our forebears believed was so important.

We continued this profession's dedication to public service. Our mock trial program included, for the first time, a team composed entirely of deaf students. Our members spoke to school children; their words told these children about the importance of this great profession; their presence told them Wisconsin lawyers care about their families, communities, and profession. In a few months, we will begin a new pro bono initiative, in recognition of the fact that no system of justice can long survive that serves some but not all members of society.

Lastly, we addressed the twin issues of multi-jurisdictional practice and the unauthorized practice of law, so that this profession can continue to serve the best interests of the public in an age in which the practice of law is no longer confined by boundaries of time or geography. In doing so, we communicated the message that our education and talents are important. Ours is a profession governed by a rigid code of ethics. Each of us is prepared by three years of rigorous post-graduate education and is dedicated to the service of the public. The public has the right to expect that others less trained or less able will not be entrusted to represent them.

We have accomplished much, but much remains to be done. Responsibility to lead this Association now passes to one of the most dedicated, talented, and experienced lawyers to hold this office. It has been a privilege for me to be counted with the 107 who have gone before. To my colleagues, I thank you for this great honor.

Wisconsin Lawyer