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independence in their day-to-day work on behalf of clients across the country and around the world. I find this deeply inspirational. In a time of disharmony and fractured civic discord, I am always heartened by the ability of our members to debate and exchange views in a spirit of collegiality and friendship. That is one of the reasons why, a full forty years into this profession, I can say without reservation that I love being a lawyer and am honored to be part of this profession.
That is not to ignore the challenges we face as lawyers. Traveling on the high road of our profession is not always easy. But it is all part
of “Next Level Lawyering” that further defines our personal and professional responsibilities. We each practice under our individual state’s Rules of Professional Conduct, modeled for the most part after the ABA’s Model Rules, adopted in 1983. One centerpiece of these rules is that lawyers remain professionally independent. We
all know why that is important. Lawyers must be able to provide independent professional judgment to our clients and not let nonlawyers direct or control that advice. Model Rule 5.4 (d) codifies this tenet.
This rule is unfortunately under direct attack. At least two states have modified their rules of
Officer Reports
Robert L. Christie Christie Law Group, PLLC Seattle, WA
Advancing civility in our profession
is a founding pillar of the FDCC. Our members exemplify the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professional
professional conduct to allow nonlawyers to own law firms. These changes are being implemented under the guise of supposedly “removing the stress of billable hours so that its lawyers can focus on client satisfaction and quality of work” and making “legal services available to a wider swath of the population” (Law On Call press release, March 15, 2021). These new business models create a direct challenge to a lawyer’s ability to remain professionally independent. Nonlawyers focused on returning shareholder value could become
Our bonds are familial in nature, formed and nurtured by spending time together - quality time.
influential not just in how legal services are provided but also as
to the content of the professional judgment delivered. Unlike lawyers, these nonlawyers are not bound by our rules of professional conduct and the civility and “candor to the tribunal” those rules foster. Non-lawyer-owned law firms present an existential challenge
to how we conduct ourselves professionally and how we deliver independent professional judgment to our clients. We should be paying some attention to this issue. I know I am.
I am inspired by the role the FDCC plays in fostering civility and integrity in our profession. FedCivility, one of the new
committees that Board Chair
Mike Glascott formed during
his Presidential year, works to develop programs that advance the FDCC’s commitment to civility and professionalism. Tiffany Alexander chairs that committee. If you
have an idea about how to better advance our mission, please let us know.
I also look forward to seeing you
at our upcoming Winter Meeting in Palm Desert and the Annual Meeting in Seattle. Marc and Holly Harwell have gone full in with their planning for Palm Desert. The product of their hard work
is on display in this publication. Combined with the captivating programming and speakers that Lauren Curtis has assembled, you don’t want to miss this meeting. Looking forward to the summer, Seattle has recovered and is in
its full glory. Heidi Goebel as convention chair and Amy Militech as program chair are putting together a spectacular Annual Convention that will be one for the memory books. Just say yes to both and join us!
Enjoy reading this issue of the Flyer and appreciate the hard work of your members and Executive Director team that have put this publication together.
See you in Palm Desert!
FDCC President and Defense Counsel Member Bob Christie is the founder of Christie Law Group in Seattle, WA. Contact him at: bob@christielawgroup.com.
www.thefederation.org
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