Inside the Bar
Alphabet Soup Convention
by George C. Brown,
State Bar executive director
DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, PRESIDENT Franklin Roosevelt created several
programs and federal agencies to bring the nation out of its economic
crisis: the NRA, WPA, and the CCC were just a few of them. These efforts
changed the federal government's role in the lives of the states and the
people down to the present day.
Some argue that the legal profession is facing crises today that will
forever change the face of the profession. These issues are represented
by an alphabet soup of titles not seen since the Roosevelt administration:
DNA, MDP, MJP, and UPL. At the State Bar Annual Convention in May, you
will have an opportunity to learn about these issues and others that will
have an impact on how you practice law in the future.
DNA Evidence. We all know what it is and how it has been used
to convict and free people charged with crimes. At the presidential showcase
program on Thursday, May 3, nationally acclaimed DNA experts Barry Scheck
and Peter Neufeld will look deeper into issues behind DNA testing. (Please
see the articles on the U.W.'s Innocence Project and our new genetic world
in this issue.)
MDP, MJP, UPL. These are some of the issues contained in the "gargantuan"
resolution facing the State Bar Board of Governors at its May 4-5 meeting.
The potential creation of multidisciplinary practice (MDP), the rise of
multijurisdictional practice (MJP), and the relative inability to enforce
the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) statutes will be among the topics
discussed during the Friday, May 4, presidential showcase program, "Seize
the Future." Led by State Bar President Gary Bakke, the panelists include
Harry Ruffalo, a U.W. Law School adjunct professor who helped Arthur Anderson
establish its legal practice.
Other three-letter acronyms also abound at the convention. The Business
Law and the Bankruptcy Law sections each will explain the impact of the
revised UCC Article 9 on their practice areas; the ADR Section will help
prepare you for mediation and the new collaborative family law process;
and the Law Practice Section will look at the changes in law practice
caused by MDP and MJP.
You will find best practice tips on risk avoidance, efficiency, and family
law issues; instruction on a variety of litigation topics; and updates
on legislation in numerous practice areas.
Technology impact is everywhere these days. There will be programs ranging
from the law of international e-commerce to how to use Internet-based
legal research and the effective use of technology in your practice.
The business of the State Bar will be everywhere. Section and division
boards and committees will be meeting throughout the convention. Thursday,
Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will swear in President-elect Gerry Mowris
as the 46th president of the State Bar at a reception for all convention
attendees. And on Friday, the Members' Recognition luncheon will honor
105 State Bar members for their 50 years of service to the profession.
There's a lot going on at this year's Annual Convention that can impact
the practice of law. I hope to see you there.
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