{"id":3676,"date":"2005-03-13T14:47:43","date_gmt":"2005-03-13T18:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/blogshine-sunday-2005\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:57:54","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:57:54","slug":"blogshine-sunday-2005","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/03\/13\/blogshine-sunday-2005\/","title":{"rendered":"blogshine sunday 2005"},"content":{"rendered":"

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shaded lawyers need sunshine<\/FONT><\/A>  <\/H3>
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March 13 to 19 has been dubbed <\/FONT>Sunshine Week<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A>, a national event focused on the  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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importance of open government and freedom of information laws.   Today, we’re
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taking part in the related activities of <\/FONT>Blogshine Sunday<\/FONT><\/A>, by reminding our readers that,<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in most states, the lawyer discipline system falls significantly short of the basic goals<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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of an open process with easy access to information. [via Bob Ambrogi’s Media Law<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A>]<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"sunshineWeek\" Problems exist in three important areas:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"tiny  Allowing the public to readily locate information on the discipline <\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV>
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records of individual attorneys<\/EM>. Although there has been improvement<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in recent years (with varying amounts of online information now available <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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from many states) a significant number of states still fail to offer discipline <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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records in a manner easily accessible to the public, and there is much more <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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that needs to be done.   (see our post<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A>,)<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"tiny  Allowing the public to attend disciplinary hearings<\/EM>. According to<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the legal reform group HALT:  “Florida, for example, allows only the grievant <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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and the defendant lawyer into the hearing room. New York, Missouri and <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Nevada hold secret hearings – prohibiting even the person who filed the complaint <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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from observing the proceedings.”  (from the <\/FONT>summary<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A> of HALT’s 2002 Lawyer <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Discipline Report Card)<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"tiny  The continued use of “gag rules”<\/EM> prohibitng a consumer who files a <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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grievance from speaking about it to anyone, threatening fines and <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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imprisonment for contempt of court. <\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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I live in New York State, which has more lawyers than any other state.  <\/FONT>The NYS system fails <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the most fundamental principles of open government:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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