So if the question is whether the legal profession was better in the past than it is today, ask a woman lawyer, or a lawyer of color. Or ask a recovering alcoholic lawyer. Or ask a client with a discipline complaint or a claim against a dishonest lawyer. Or ask an indigent criminal defendant, or a legal aid client. Or ask a volunteer coordinator.
Professional improvements remain necessary and possible.
That is one of the main reasons our Association exists. However, we should acknowledge and celebrate our successes, and we should not lament a decline in professionalism from an imagined past.