Young LawYers urgeD to take aDvantage of senior CounseL events
Senior Counsel Section
Chair: Thomas Newcomb Hyde – Attorney at law
T
he Senior Counsel
Section will begin
the New Year with
a luncheon featuring
Florida Supreme Court Justice
R. Fred Lewis. Justice Lewis’
presentation continues the Senior
Counsel tradition of hosting great
activities, and great speakers such
as former Governor Bob Martinez
and Second District Court of
Appeal Judges Ed LaRose and John
Badalamenti. Senior Counsel events
are open to all HCBA members.
I urge all “non-senior” members,
particularly those in the HCBA’s
Young Lawyers Division, to take
advantage of these and other
formal or informal opportunities
to spend time with our Section
members. And I urge you to do
this not just for the opportunity
to discuss substantive legal matters,
but so that you’ll also have the
chance to soak up some of the
practical wisdom gained over
many years of practice.
During the early years of my
career, I was very fortunate to have
had the privilege of spending time
with, and learning from, many of
the leading local lawyers in this
state. Probably the most important
thing I learned from observing
them was the way that they
interacted with ordinary citizens
when discussing current legal, civic,
and political issues or events at the
local, state, and national level. This
64
At the October Senior Counsel luncheon, members Leonard Gilbert and Frank “Sandy”
Rief, III joined former Governor Bob Martinez and section chair Tom Hyde for a photo.
arena of informal interaction is
an overlooked opportunity to be a
good citizen, while at the same time
enhancing your own reputation
and that of our profession. I’d now
like to pass along what I learned,
collectively, from the best of them.
When you find yourself either in
or on the edge of such discussions,
keep in mind the following things:
• Be an instrument of instruction,
not discord, seeking a peaceful
end to a rancorous discussion;
• When you see someone is
offended by another’s expressed
opinions, try to ease the offended
and counsel the offender;
• When you hear someone saying
something about someone or
something that you know to be
flatly wrong or fairly debatable,
correct and explain the facts
tactfully and objectively;
• Without taking a “side,” encourage
others to seek to understand
someone else’s position, where
they are coming from, and why
that person may believe as they
do before condemning someone
out of hand;
• When you hear someone banging
away in despair about the current
state of our institutions, society,
or politics, don’t join the “race to
the bottom.” Instead, point out all
the positive things about our civic
institutions, our government, and
the many challenges that have
been overcome in our history.
Our constitutional system of
government depends on an informed
citizenry engaging in civil debate,
and lawyers are in the best position
to make sure that this happens in
a positive, non-partisan way. Often
this is best done in an informal,
individual setting. If we follow this
advice, whether we are at a social
gathering or sporting event, a house
of worship, a family gathering, or
picking up the dry cleaning, we
will enhance the reputation of our
profession and be true to our oath
to support our constitutions, and
in so doing, we will maintain our
position not just as advocates for
our clients
and officers of
the court, but
guardians of
civic virtue.
Author:
Larry Rayburn -
Medicaid
Done Right
JAN - FEB 2018
|
HCBA LAWYER