Final Thoughts

Douglas A. Copeland
Copeland Thompson Farris, P.C.
Clayton

It surprises me a bit that my year as president of The Missouri Bar is nearly complete. In certain respects it seems as if it just began, and in others it seems like it began long ago. I was told by those who held this position before me that it would pass in a blur, but I don’t recall them warning me about the breadth of issues that arise and confront you during your year as bar president. Perhaps I wasn’t listening. If you ask my wife, she will certainly confirm that is a common condition in my case. In this, my last Journal article, I thought it might be of interest to share at least a part of the perspective that you can only get by serving as bar president. In the simplest terms, what I have seen is a lot of activity.

I have seen a host of lawyers involved in the legislative process, both on the state and federal levels. Our staff lobbyists worked tirelessly to educate us, bringing proposed legislation to our attention, helping us grapple with deciding if certain legislation is within the scope of what we should be involved in as a mandatory bar, and then what our position, if any, should be on that legislation. I saw a host of bar leaders, both from The Missouri Bar and from local and specialty bars, actively engage themselves in the legislative process – by testifying at hearings, writing letters to legislators, making calls, and walking the halls of the State Capitol to make certain that the bar’s perspective was at least heard. Those leaders went so far as Washington D.C. to engage Missouri’s representatives in the U.S. House and Senate in discourse pertaining to national issues affecting lawyers and the administration of justice. I saw members of the bar’s substantive committees review proposed legislation, giving their insight and expertise in the form of comments, suggestions and criticism. I even saw highly dedicated individual lawyers of significant stature in the community set aside their busy law practices to engage key legislative leaders on issues of particular importance to the bar. And then, of course, I witnessed first hand the effort and contribution of those Missouri lawyers who give the ultimate sacrifice for the legislative process – attorney-legislators in our House and Senate.

During my year as president I also witnessed up close the contributions of time and talent from some of the best and brightest lawyers in Missouri serving on your Board of Governors, the Young Lawyers’ Section Council and the bar’s many committees and sections. I have seen the volunteer efforts of the attorneys who serve on the various disciplinary committees active in certain parts of the state as they do their best to assist the Chief Disciplinary Counsel to fulfill her responsibilities to lawyers and the public. I have seen the leaders and members of more local bar associations than I ever knew existed, from the large metropolitan associations to the small local bars that exist in every corner of our state, gather to grapple with issues, solve problems, serve their communities in a host of ways, and work together with their local bench to advance the administration of and access to justice. I have seen them work alone, and I have seen them gather together in cooperative efforts to tackle problems or advance programs too large to handle alone.

Like those before me, I have relied heavily on lawyers willing to serve on a variety of task forces to address issues of particular import. In recent years we have seen these groups tackle such weighty issues as lawyer advertising and appropriate reactions to unfair criticism of our judiciary. This year various task forces are working on issues related to the Public Defender System, an online legal research benefit for members of the bar, the unauthorized practice of law, unbundled legal services, and implementation of mechanisms to assist pro se litigants. I have also witnessed lawyers create and contribute time and money to independent committees and PACs dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of our judicial system.

I have also become more intimately aware of the host of dedicated lawyers who have forsaken the more lucrative offerings of a private practice to dedicate themselves to providing legal services to the most vulnerable in our society – the indigent – as public defenders and legal aid lawyers. I have also seen members of the private bar step up when the need arises to assist in fundraising activities and provide volunteer assistance to the work of these men and women. That is not to mention the structured and unstructured pro bono work that goes on, to a large extent unnoticed and unheralded, everywhere across the state, from the largest firms to the single attorney office. I have seen lawyers contribute their legal expertise without cost to their churches, schools and other charitable organizations. And, lest we forget, there are the other members of the criminal justice system, the prosecutors and lawyers in the Attorney General’s office, who work at below-market wages.

Last, but certainly not least, I have witnessed, in a way very few get to experience, the tremendous dedication, efficiency and just plain hard work of the staff of The Missouri Bar. They are the glue that holds all these efforts together, that provide the structure, consistency and institutional knowledge that lightens the burden on lawyers who offer their time and energy to the programs and projects of the bar, and allow those efforts to be both productive and satisfying. Compared to many other state bar associations, our bar staff is small in number, and yet is consistently leading the pack in innovative ideas and accomplishments. They often serve as a model to the rest of the nation. They are helpful to a fault, they multi-task, they help each other out, they pinch pennies, they have a good time together and know when to laugh, and most importantly they support and encourage a continual stream of odd-minded presidents such as myself.

I began my term as president concerned about the “professionalism” of our profession, concerned that we had crossed the line and were inexorably moving down the path of becoming just a business, without the attributes of the noble profession of the law that I cherish. I began by calling upon the remembrance of Atticus Finch to guide us back from the depths of where I feared we were headed. What I have seen is the embodiment of Atticus alive and well in countless numbers of Missouri attorneys. As I end my term, I am convinced that the professionalism of the practice of law is indeed alive and cherished by the vast majority of our profession. Do we still have to make an effort and pay attention? Certainly. Anything precious deserves and requires constant attention. What I see now is that we have not lost our professionalism – it may be hidden at times, but not lost. I leave you in the excellent hands of the bar staff and my successors, confident that we shall continue to travel the good path. I thank you for the opportunity to serve as your president. I thank you for the “view” that I have been afforded this past year, and the renewed confidence that I have in our profession. I have truly enjoyed the journey.