{"id":4763,"date":"2004-03-17T17:58:14","date_gmt":"2004-03-17T21:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2004\/03\/17\/the-hardest-part-of-the-watch"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:58:56","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:58:56","slug":"the-hardest-part-of-the-watchdog-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2004\/03\/17\/the-hardest-part-of-the-watchdog-role\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hardest Part of the Watchdog Role"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The most difficult thing about being an ethics gadfly-watchdog is not the feeling of futility, nor the enormity of the task.  For me, the hardest part about the ethicalEsq<\/EM> role is the knowledge that what I have to say will often offend perfectly decent men and women.  In fact, lawyers who are most atuned to practicing ethically may be the most offended.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"you!\" . . me?<\/EM><\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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This recently happened after my discussion on March 4th of law firm <\/FONT>branding<\/FONT><\/A>.  In the post, I voiced concerns aboout applying the premium-brand technique to the provision of legal services, “no matter the decency and quality of a particular lawyer or firm using the marketing techniques.”   My analysis used statements by <\/FONT>Matt Homann<\/FONT><\/A> from his the [non]billable hour<\/EM> weblog as examples of the branding philosophy that concerns me.  Matt responded in a short and strong <\/FONT>Commen<\/A><\/FONT>t<\/A>: <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Cheap shot, David. Get to know me better before calling my ethics into question.<\/EM> <\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Matt is correct to suggest that I do not know him very well.  [I had a long telephone call with him last year about promoting mediation, and I’ve been reading his weblog daily from the day it was launched a few months ago — and plugged it that first day on ethicalEsq<\/EM>.]   From what I do know, Matt appears to be exactly the kind of decent, conscientious lawyer we need more of, and<\/EM> the kind of ethically-atuned lawyer I especially dislike offending.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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