When I assumed this office last September, I had a short list of goals in mind ­ things I wanted to encourage our bar to look at, if not accomplish, during my term. One of my primary goals was to remind all of us that we become better lawyers and enhance our profession when we keep in mind our professional and personal obligations and responsibilities.

One of those responsibilities is to zealously advocate, within the bounds of our professions ethical rules, the interests of our clients. However, a license to practice law should not be construed as a license to be combative, rude, inconsiderate, unfriendly and difficult. In that sense, we would do well to heed the wisdom of Shakespeare, who in Taming of the Shrew wrote: "Do as adversaries do in law, strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends." Indeed, in our conduct toward clients, lawyers, judges, court officials and other participants in the legal process, we should rely upon the most basic of tenets, the Golden Rule we all learned as children: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." As you might expect, I again suggest that perhaps by using that approach, we prove that we are "ladies and gentlemen."

Lawyers must help each other do a better job for their clients. Because our busy lives leave little time for this interaction, your Missouri Bar has organized a pilot mentoring program in southwest Missouri. Through this program, veteran lawyers are being asked ­ on a purely voluntary basis ­ to make themselves available as a source of advice and friendship to newly admitted lawyers and those with limited experience. This pilot project, if successful, should be expanded throughout the state. Many of you have done this on an informal basis and I hope you will do so under a now formal program.

Progress on this front does not disguise the fact that the legal profession faces many challenges ­ some old, some new ­ as we approach the end of this century. They include:

Ensuring that all members of the bar maintain their skills, knowledge and ability to deal with rapidly emerging legal issues;

Fostering a continued emphasis on professionalism as a standard for guiding lawyers conduct toward other lawyers, judges, clients, court officials and others with whom we deal;

Providing full access to the civil and criminal justice systems for all citizens, regardless of their economic status;

Encouraging the professions continuing commitment to pro bono work among all members of the profession;

Enhancing the overall public image of the legal profession through the demonstrated professionalism of each individual member of the bar; and

Maintaining a judiciary and justice system that allows for the equitable, prompt resolution of issues, a system deserving of the highest respect from the citizens of our great state.

Ultimately, it is you and I ­ the individual lawyers ­ who must and will address these challenges through conscious attention to our professional responsibilities, participation in bar activities, and embracing our obligation to become involved in efforts at all levels to improve the law and legal system.

As we wrestle with these matters in the years to come, you can be confident that The Missouri Bar will be there to help you. The many programs, services and materials available through your state bar exist solely to help you, the individual member of the bar, perform your difficult job more effectively, efficiently, and with greater personal and professional satisfaction.

The Missouri Bar is not a building of stone and concrete in Jefferson City, it is not the officers, and it is not the Board of Governors. It is you, the individual member of the bar, striving for excellence as you meet the legal needs of your clients. It is because of you that The Missouri Bar enjoys the outstanding reputation it has earned throughout the nation.

Hand in hand with your efforts are those of the bar organization itself. One of the keys to the The Missouri Bars success over the years has been its unwavering policy of addressing only those issues which fall within its proper scope. It is a mandatory (unified) bar and derives much of its strength from that very status. The preamble to Missouri Supreme Court Rule 7, which created The Missouri Bar, states that the bar exists to help the states lawyers "strive at all times to uphold the honor and maintain the dignity of the profession and to improve not only the law but the administration of justice." The Missouri Bar has not ­ and never will ­ stray from this limited role. There have been instances in which bar organizations have found themselves adversely affected by activities which stray beyond such a limited role. That is why we must stay within our scope and as I said in September, "keep this car in the middle of the road and between the fence posts."

You have assisted the bar and as a result it enjoys a reputation for excellence. I am convinced its reputation will continue and be enhanced as we approach the new millennium. This reputation is a sum total of that of all Missouri lawyers. You should be proud of your profession, the work you do for the benefit of the citizens of Missouri, and your state bar.

In closing, I have felt a great deal of pride representing you throughout the country this past year and I want to thank you for the honor of serving as your president.

Marvin E "Bunky" Wright, President