E D I T O R ’ S
M E S S A G E
E d C o m e y - L a w C l e r k t o U. S . B a n k r u p t c y Ju d g e M i c h a e l G. Wi l l i a m s o n
Big Shoes to Fill
I’m looking forward to reading stories about lawyers who are trying
to fill the shoes of those who have already “paid their rent.”
T
hree years ago, I wrote my first Editor’s
Message, titled Who’s Gonna Fill Their
Shoes, for the inaugural issue of the
25th anniversary edition of the Lawyer
magazine. My message was based on a
George Jones song of the same name, in which Jones
wondered who would replace country music legends like
Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Elvis
Presley, to name a few. After reminiscing in my message
about the HCBA’s legal legends from the last 25 years,
I wondered who would fill
their shoes.
Well, we may find out
soon enough. In his first
President’s Message, new
HCBA president, Gordon
Hill, talked about an old
“family tradition” of service,
one handed down from
his grandfather. Gordon
explains that his grand -
father, Ben Hill II, taught
him that “civic responsibility
was ‘paying the rent’ for the
space you take up in this
world.” To combat the
negative reputation lawyers
have, Gordon plans on
telling the story of lawyers
who are “paying their rent,”
highlighting in each of his messages a lawyer who has
been giving back to the community.
His first example is attorney Stephen Koch, who has
served as the CEO of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters
chapter. I hope you’ll read Gordon’s message to learn
about the difference Stephen has made in the lives of
kids in our community. What a worthy selection! And
what a laudable goal of fostering respect for the legal
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professional by highlighting the great things HCBA
lawyers are doing in our community. Fortunately, there’s
no shortage of lawyers to choose from.
Just take a look at this issue. You can read about
HCBA Lawyer Referral & Information Service members
who volunteered for the Ask-a-Lawyer library series.
Also, there’s a list of 38 lawyers who volunteered for
Fox 13’s Ask-a-Lawyer series in June and July, alone.
Community Services Committee Chair, Lara Lavoie,
describes how HCBA lawyers adopted 350 seniors and
raised $7,000 for the CSC’s
Elves for Elders program.
Perhaps even more touching
is the Pirate Plunder Party
the CSC put on at A
Kid’s Place, which the CSC
does every year. You can
also read about the great
work the Military &
Veterans Affairs Committee
is doing for veterans in
our community, who have
more than paid their rent.
Last issue, the HCBA’s
immediate past president,
Kevin McLaughlin, talked
about how more than 165
lawyers volunteered for his
Read to Dream initiative.
You can read these types of
stories in every issue.
In his President’s Message, Gordon notes the
significant role HCBA legends — Reece Smith, Sam
Gibbons, Chester Ferguson, Doyle Carlton, Cody Fowler,
George Edgecomb, John Germany, etc. — had shaping
our local community. I’m looking forward to reading
stories about lawyers who are trying to fill the shoes of
those who have already “paid their rent.”