flying solo
a field of wildflowers
I recall the courtship
not the marriage
their gravestones
hers newer and taller
than his
treeless downtown street
two spring robins
on a window box
George Swede from Almost Unseen (Brooks Books, 2000)
by dagosan:
the duckling
skirts the ice floe –
our river rendezvous
mom’s voice long distance:
who-died-and-when-did-I-last-dust?
[March 23, 2005]
potluck
Ben Cowgill at Legal Ethics Blog and Carolyn Elefant at MyShingle have
started a lengthy correspondence about legal ethics weblogs, pedagogy,
and enforcement, with a focus on solo practitioners. I think you’ll get the
gist of the issues from my quick comments here:
Legal ethics is definitely important enough to deserve its own weblogs
and it should be a part of virtually every law school course and every
practice-oriented weblog.
Legal ethics is about far more than micro-rules. As Prof. Schiltz says:
First, a lawyer has to comply with the formal disciplinary rules
. . . . . But you should also understand that the formal rules
represent nothing more than ‘the lowest common denominator
of conduct that a highly self-interested group will tolerate.’ . . .
But complying with the formal rules will not make you an ethical
lawyer, any more than complying with the criminal law will make
you an ethical person.
Second, a lawyer must act ethically in his work, even when he
isn’t required to do so by any rule. . . . For the most part,
this is not complicated. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
Be honest and fair. Show respect and compassion. Keep promises. . . .
Third, a lawyer must live an ethical life outside of work. . . . But
being admitted to the bar does not absolve a lawyer of his
responsibilities outside of work — to his family, friends, community
and, if he is a person of faith, to his god. To practice law ethically,
he must meet those responsibilities, which means he must live a
balanced life.
I do not believe that Bar Council are out to get solo and small-firm practitioners.
There are plenty of non-conspiratorial reasons why so many disciplinary actions
