Letters to the Editor
Letters: Green Acres
GREEN ACRES
Have the various bar associations considered recruiting older attorneys nearing retirement ("Too Many Lawyers? Not Here," October)?I have practiced for 41 years and will have sufficient income upon retiring in a few years. Surviving and raising children will not be a problem. My wife and I have considered moving to a smaller community, but I still feel like I would need something to keep me active. I think there's a ton of baby boomer lawyers who would welcome the change.
Gene Henry
Biloxi, Mississippi
This is an example of a problem with a shortsighted and incomplete solution. It takes experience and lots of it to be a good lawyer. Putting young, inexperienced lawyers into a rural community provides little more than access to poor justice. What's worse is that by being isolated from the population of experienced attorneys who provide necessary mentors and learning opportunities, a cycle of less than adequate justice is almost assured. State bar associations have a responsibility to provide not access to lawyers but to quality legal services.
Vlad G. Spitzer
Stamford, Connecticut
The story says: "They planned to set up separate law offices to avoid potential conflicts of interest." This problem is not new with married, small-town attorneys at different firms, and I have not seen a fully satisfactory way to resolve it. Even if attorneys are capable of maintaining confidences and impartiality, if something goes wrong, the clients will focus on the marriage. They really need to be running/working for the same firm, even if that does cut business in half and deprive half the community of local legal help.
Mark Ciotola
Mountain View, California
PURITY PARADOX
Regarding "Thou Shalt Not Cheat," October: I get it. We should follow the rules. This works well when you have a closed system like the NBA or NFL, where they can fall under one body of sporting law. However, Travis Tygart's zealous crusade puts U.S. athletes in a weakened position when competing on a world stage.How many top riders admitted to doping after Lance Armstrong was stripped? I think you have to go back to the DNF riders to find ones that did not dope. We can argue it creates a race to the bottom, but really I do not care if Barry Bonds or Armstrong juiced--they are entertainers--just like I don't care if One Direction lip-syncs at their concert. I do care if some parent is pumping a kid full of HGH or steroids. One group consists of grown adults who can make that choice on their own. Perhaps the real question is: Why do societies place so much emphasis and reward on being entertained? I mean, Tygart is asking for purity in my entertainment, and I find that odd.
Daniel Waters
Columbus, Ohio
CORRECTIONS
After publication of "Too Many Lawyers? Not Here," the ABA Journal learned that Cody Cooper was not licensed in Minnesota. Cooper now acknowledges that he misrepresented his status, explaining that he had expected to be licensed before publication of the article."Thou Shalt Not Cheat" should have identified Craig Camp as a director at Merrill Lynch. It also should have reported that Camp was quoting others asking Travis Tygart "Why not just look the other way?" when Tygart kicked a fraternity brother out of the Pi Kappa Alpha kitchen because he hadn't paid his dues.
The ABA Journal regrets the errors.
