The unwritten rules of the bar
The original title of this blog was going to be, Lawyers in a Burning Building, after my last message as President of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) in the August, 2011, issue of Briefly Speaking. Lawyers and burning buildings – fodder for the worst anti-lawyer jokes. Throughout my term, an unrelenting theme was the plight of new lawyers and law students. Student debts, lack of recognition, and generational bullying. New lawyers? There is a way out, into the rest of your career!
For professionals whose livelihood is based on written instruments, parochialism and bullying maintain a foothold in our profession through unwritten codes and country club justice. Lawyers emerging through the ranks must take the high road, as lawyers only can: reliance on written rules and laws. As the author of the OBA Code of Conduct during my term as Chair of the OBA Governance Committee, I sought to modernize Canada’s largest bar association. The code was first adopted by OBA Council then used across Canada as the model for the CBA Principles of Conduct. Written codes mean power for newcomers to a group. They say, “We welcome you.”
This site will feature practical articles on lawyer and courtroom practices, such as Cross-Examining on a discovery transcript, as well as survival tactics for dealing with bullying by senior counsel. Like any community, social abuse is a weapon against innovation and diversity. Do not be afraid to refer to the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Rules of Professional Conduct and the CBA’s Code of Professional Conduct. The Advocates Society’s Principles of Civility for Advocates is a consensus code for interaction among members of the bar and the bench. It’s short and no one can fault you for reading it while waiting for your matter to come up in court. Abide by these rules and you really cannot go wrong. Malheureusement, c’est disponible seulement en anglais. If you belong to an association board of trustees or bar council, you have to study the Robert’s Rules of Order to combat meeting-hoggers. As lawyers, we owe a duty to our successors to ensure they are better than the preceding generation, not to put down the successor. Understand this principle, and you’ve made your first step toward a mentorship role yourself.
Les règles non-écrits de notre communauté
Le titre original de ce blog allait être, Avocats dans un immeuble en feu, après mon dernier message en tant que président du Barreau de l’Ontario (ABO) dans le numéro d’août 2011, de En Bref. Les avocats et les bâtiments en feu - fourrage pour les pires blagues anti-avocats. Tout au long de mon mandat, un thème a été sans relâche la situation des nouveaux avocats et étudiants en droit. Dettes d’études, manque de reconnaissance, et intimidation générationnelle. Les nouveaux avocats? Courage!
Pour les professionnels dont la subsistance est fondée sur les documents écrits, l’esprit de l’intimidation maintient un pied dans notre profession à travers des codes non-écrits et la justice secrète. Avocats émergents à travers les rangs doit se battre comme seuls les avocats peuvent: dépendance aux règles écrites et aux lois. Comme l’auteur du Code de conduite de l’ABO au cours de mon mandat comme président de la comité du gouvernement de l’ABO, j’ai cherché à moderniser la plus grande association canadienne du barreau. Le code a été adopté par l’ABO et ensuite utilisée comme modèle pour les Principes de conduite de l’ABC.
