The dry desert air and heat were formidable. Camelback Mountain can be compared to the arduous task we lawyers face as we strive to improve the public's perception of our justice system. The mountain we must climb is as formidable and precipitous as Camelback and is called Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal Profession. A 1999 national survey of Americans and a survey of RI leaders shows that in spite of considerable efforts by the legal profession to improve the public's view of us, we are still facing a long climb from the bottom of the mountain in terms of the public's perception. Most complaints involve a client relations matter not a breach of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Most citizens feel our system of justice is too slow, too expensive, too adversarial and too biased.
They perceive it favors rich over poor and the majority over the minority population. They are sending us a message that they are dissatisfied. Chief Justice Weisberger has started on our climb up the mountain by sponsoring and encouraging public debate on this vital issue. The Members of the judiciary and the bar must communicate more effectively with the citizenry about the nature and scope of the funcations they perform Perhaps the recommendations and the construct that Judge Weisberger has begun will be the cornerstone to reversing the somber perceptions and will be the beginning of our path to the top of the mountain in order to restore our legal system to its proper place. After I delivered the recommendations of the Chief Justice's report to the conference in a survey of state responses, I was met with a flood of inquiries and comments from Bar leaders across the country.