The Bar’s Resources: Yours for the Asking
By Darrell G. Mottley

In this time of financial headwinds and national issues affecting the legal profession, the D.C. Bar needs to look for ways to help our members in their practices. In recent years, national debates have centered on law schools producing too many graduates and the ensuing economic problems created by oversaturation in the field.[1] Discussions also have ranged from the alleged failure of many law schools to respond to the decline in demand for lawyers to the high cost of schooling and the overwhelming debt many graduates accrue.

In rethinking the practice and the future of the profession, there are many views of where we want to go. For instance, at the 2011 American Bar Association (ABA) Annual Meeting, the ABA House of Delegates approved a policy resolution encouraging law schools to create programs for providing practice-ready lawyers. Under the new plan, students would receive more practical legal training. Many District of Columbia law schools already provide practical training for graduates through clinical work, trial advocacy programs, and legal writing skills courses. Additionally, there have been several innovative proposals, including one where a law school would start a not-for-profit law firm and hire select graduates as new associates. This firm would provide a practical training ground, while offering reduced or free legal services to a community in need of affordable civil legal services. 

In working with both recent law school graduates and experienced lawyers in transition, the Bar plays a significant role in the regulation system. In this function, Bar leadership has been working to respond to economic challenges in several ways. For example, the Bar recently expanded its online career services area in an effort to help lawyers navigate through hard times as they face a tough job market.[2] Members also can upload résumés and search for open positions using the career center’s job board. We hope these resources will provide another benefit to members seeking positions in a tough economic environment.

Having lawyers who are practice ready is a vital way to ensure that Bar members are working up to their professional potential. It also ensures that the surrounding communities can benefit from lawyers’ efforts as civil legal services providers. The Bar supports these endeavors in several ways:

1. “Basic Training.” I view each Bar member as an important resource for society, someone who can offer much needed legal services as well as contribute to the economic fabric of the community. An example of this is the D.C. Bar Practice Management Advisory Service (PMAS), which produces a “Basic Training” program, taught by PMAS assistant director Dan Mills. The statistics and response to this program, which caters to members in small firms and solo practices, have been impressive. From its inception in November 2008 through the end of 2011, the program has trained more than 1,100 lawyers in how to start and manage a law practice in the District of Columbia. The importance of this program is that these lawyers develop critical tools to contribute to the legal landscape. To underscore the Bar’s support for this program, the D.C. Bar Board of Governors has committed to expanding services to reach more members of the Bar in the coming years.

2. Continuing Legal Education. The D.C. Bar’s Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Program demonstrates its efforts to improve a member’s legal practice through training programs centering on substantive legal areas and ethics lessons. The CLE Program presents more than 120 programs annually to more than 5,000 attorneys. CLE Program director Lalla Shishkevish, along with a dedicated team of Bar members and Bar staff, work tirelessly with the CLE Committee to produce innovative programs. Many of these programs are taught by Bar members who are some of the leading experts in their area of practice. In keeping with one of the goals of the Bar’s strategic plan, the CLE Program is working toward expanding its reach through online audio programs and other technological endeavors. I encourage you to check out the schedule of programs to find a course that will enhance your practice area.[3]

3. Sections. The D.C. Bar Sections Office provides another resource for members to enhance their practices. From a personal perspective, I found volunteering with the sections to be very rewarding. Sections volunteers work closely with Sections director Candace Smith–Tucker and her team to develop a wide array of programming. As a whole, the sections average 260 events a year, keeping Bar members informed of the latest in legal issues and developments. Of note, several of the sections work with Listservs, which provide a virtual lawyer community for sharing and exchanging ideas. I view this feature as particularly beneficial for small firm or solo practices because many topics deal with substantive practices issues and resources not always readily available in a smaller setting. 

4. Legal Ethics. The Bar’s Legal Ethics Committee and legal ethics counsel provide additional resources for members to remain in practice. The committee issues five to eight opinions a year pertaining to the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct. Legal Ethics counsel Hope C. Todd and Saul Jay Singer respond to more than 2,000 calls and e–mail inquiries from Bar members each year—and these inquiries are always confidential.    

These resources and services of the Bar are here to assist you, the members, in your practices. These tools can empower you to achieve excellence, no matter which area of law you practice.  

Notes  
[1] David Segal, What They Don’t Teach Law Students: Lawyering, N.Y. Times, Nov. 19, 2011, available at www.nytimes.com.
[2] D.C. Bar online career services.
[3] Continuing Legal Education Program courses can be found in the D.C. Bar events calendar.

Reach Darrell G. Mottley at dmottley@dcbar.org.