Vol. 75, No. 8, August 2002

This is a Great Profession

by Pat Ballman

When I was sworn in I said that I wanted to be president of the State Bar of Wisconsin because I like lawyers. I like being around them and working with them. And I particularly like working with lawyers in cooperation, rather than always in litigation.

Lawyers generally are interesting people. We learn continually in our jobs because we have to, which keeps life interesting. We can develop expertise in areas of law that are of particular interest to us, and then use that expertise to help people solve their problems. We are rarely bored in our jobs - which is a treat.

More importantly, the law is an honorable profession. It would do us good to reread our Rules of Professional Conduct to remind ourselves that what we do is good and perhaps even noble. "A lawyer is a representative of clients, an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having a special responsibility for the quality of justice." And no other profession says, as part of its rules of ethics, that the professionals should provide free services for the needy. I like being a lawyer and am proud of it. And so I was extremely honored to be nominated to run for State Bar president.

Now that I am president I want everyone to know how much value lawyers bring to society. We are a nation of laws; we are protected by laws. We have order, rather than insurrection and riots, because of our rule of law. And it is our job to see that the laws are fair, and that our clients get the full benefit of the laws.

At the swearing-in ceremony I said that people often quote Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part Two, for the proposition that we should "kill all the lawyers." But, when used that way, it is being taken out of context. Shakespeare's point was that if you killed all the lawyers we would be a nation of chaos.

Lawyers are crucial to an orderly society. So I am particularly interested in working to educate the public about the value lawyers bring to society. Our "branding" project is an effort to impart a positive identity, to "brand" lawyers with the image of being a positive force in society. Our message is that lawyers solve problems for clients, we use our knowledge, our expertise to help clients, and we serve our clients and society in a multitude of ways. Our tag line gets that message across: "Wisconsin Lawyers: Expert Advisers. Serving You." A series of ads and other promotional tools for individual members, law firms, and local bar associations help explain that message. For a full explanation of the branding effort, log on to www.wisbar.org/branding. The more our tag line is used, the more the message will sink in.

Not that our profession has solved all the ills in the legal system. Nearly 80 percent of the low income people in this state in serious need of civil legal services get no help. Federal funding for legal aid has been cut drastically over recent years. Individual lawyers have donated approximately $3 million in the last few years to the Equal Justice Coalition to help fund programs for the indigent. But private citizens alone cannot fund these programs. We need to keep fighting for government support and keep reminding our representatives in Madison and Washington that adequate government support is needed, for example, to prevent people from becoming homeless because of unfair evictions. Several of us from the Bar were in Washington in early May telling our representatives just that.

I also am very interested in seeing that our Bar association and our profession in Wisconsin are inclusive, open and welcoming to people of different backgrounds. As society changes, our profession must adapt to meet the changing needs of our clients. Fifty years ago, even 25 years ago, this Bar association was not just an old boys' club, but an old white boys' club. Some members may feel that the Bar still is mostly run by middle-aged white males. I am going to do what I reasonably can to change that perception.

I want to ensure that women and minorities have opportunities for leadership positions in the Bar, in the profession, and in the judicial system. I want to broaden and deepen the pool from which we draw candidates for appointments and seek nominees. Society in general, and the State Bar in specific, benefits when different points of view, different experiences, are brought to bear on issues.

Law at its best is based on empathy, understanding, communication, and seeking common ground. People of any background can excel in those areas. This can be a great profession for everyone. And I want to see that this is a great bar association for every lawyer.

Wisconsin Lawyer