IN THE PROFESSION
The Curious Question of How to Love the Law
EDWARD “ WARD ” PANKOWSKI Pankowski , Bovis , Kyle , Burch & Medlin epankowski @ boviskyle . com
W e are indeed fortunate to live in this , the golden age of the legal profession .”
These were the opening remarks of attorney Eugene Angert when he delivered an address to the State Bar of Georgia in February of 1927 . The almost-tangible confidence of this man , a Harvard graduate who lived and practiced a century ago , inspires mixed feelings : humor , and perhaps pity , but also curiosity . What is it that made this man ( who unknowingly occupied the interlude between two world wars in the midst of pivotal times for the great struggles of innumerable peoples and causes ) declare that this must be the golden age of law ? In a word : distance . In his speech , Angert proclaims a love for the law . But , he denounces that inexorable obsession often summarized by the phrase , “ The law
12 January / February 2024