{"id":3997,"date":"2005-08-05T18:34:50","date_gmt":"2005-08-05T22:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2005\/08\/05\/stoolies-and-eagles\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:57:31","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:57:31","slug":"stoolies-and-eagles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/08\/05\/stoolies-and-eagles\/","title":{"rendered":"stoolies and eagles"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In “<\/FONT>Our Honor: Policing Ourselves in the Legal Profession<\/EM><\/FONT><\/A>,<\/EM> ” (NYSBA Gov., Law & Policy <\/I><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Journal <\/I><\/FONT>| Summer 2005) <\/FONT>David L. Edmunds, Jr., Chief Counsel for the NYS Attorney Grievance <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Committees, App. Div., 4th Jud. Dept., discusses at some length the ethical obligation to <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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report non-privileged violations of the ethical rules by our fellow attorneys. <\/FONT>See NY Rule <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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1-103(A); <\/FONT>Model Rule 8.3<\/FONT><\/A>; D.C. Bar <\/FONT><\/FONT>Rule 8.3<\/FONT><\/A>.  <\/FONT>Edmunds says:<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“The integrity of the legal profession can only be maintained when violations of <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the <\/FONT>disciplinary rules are brought to the attention of the proper officials. . . . The <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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profession is indeed privileged to have the responsibility of policing itself.”<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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We part company when he says “The legal community, both bench and bar, has met the challenge <\/EM><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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and exceeded the responsibility<\/EM> placed upon it to regulate the profession.”   (see our <\/FONT><\/FONT>prior post<\/FONT><\/A>)  It <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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is <\/FONT><\/FONT>ironic that Edmunds should be making this claim, since it was his 4th Dept. Grievance Committee <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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staffer who <\/FONT>told me a few years ago — as described in blame bar counsel for the Capoccia Scandal<\/FONT><\/A><\/FONT> <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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— that <\/FONT>they pay very little attention to complaints by lawyers about other lawyers, because (he <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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asserted) <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT>they almost always come from competitors trying to stifle the competition (e.g.,<\/EM> complaints <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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about ads).<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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YAW<\/EM>: Yabut Analogy Watch<\/STRONG>:  Quoting Cain from the Bible, Edmunds uses a strange   \"prof<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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analogy in his article, pointing to the story of Cain <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT>and Abel, and stating that “We <\/EM><\/FONT>are <\/EM><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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indeed the keeper of our brother and sister <\/EM><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT>attorneys<\/EM>.”  As Answers.com<\/EM> has <\/FONT><\/FONT>noted<\/A>, <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Cain’s words have come to symbolize <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT>people’s unwillingness to accept <\/FONT><\/FONT>responsibility <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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for the welfare of their fellows — <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT>their “brothers” in the extended <\/FONT><\/FONT>sense of the term. <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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The tradition of <\/FONT>Judaism<\/A> and <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT>Christianity<\/FONT><\/A> is that people do<\/I> have <\/FONT><\/FONT>this responsibility.”    <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT><\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"WmBlakeC&An\"  The Body of Abel, Found by Adam<\/EM>, by William Blake; <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/FONT>larger<\/A><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Observers such as <\/FONT><\/FONT>I would say that our profession has <\/FONT><\/FONT>indeed acted too much<\/EM> <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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like the keeper of other <\/FONT><\/FONT>lawyers — covering their colleagues’ behinds and winking at <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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their bad conduct <\/FONT>— rather than <\/FONT>vigilant police who are looking out for the welfare of <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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clients and <\/FONT>the public.<\/FONT>  <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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roly-poly pigeons
growing fatter…
a long day<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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      Kobayashi ISSA<\/FONT><\/A> <\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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hailstones falling–
the pigeons hear
their fate<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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     Kobayashi ISSA<\/A><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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      translated by <\/FONT>David G. Lanoue<\/FONT><\/A><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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\"hawk   How about ending our workweek with Peggy Lyles?<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Sounds very good to me:<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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a sea breeze<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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through the oleanders–<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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long afterglow<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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shrimp glisten<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in the cast net<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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summer moon<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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history lesson<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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slowly the caged eagle<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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turns our way <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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Peggy Lyles<\/FONT><\/A> from Snapshots<\/A><\/EM> Haiku Magazine #10 (2001)<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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                                                                                       \"WmBlakeC&A\" <\/FONT>larger<\/FONT><\/A><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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