The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-12
Observed, and thereby has been built

observed, and thereby has been bull
up and preserved the reputation Of
an honorable profession. But in re-
cent years, perhaps keener interest
and more Jealous spirit has animal
ed the members of that profession
and stimulated them to more concert
ed and effective efforts to establish
| and maintain a high ktandard of
professional conduct and enforce a
stricter obedience to these long rec
ognized, but sometimes too little OBJ
served, laws of professional ethics
Manifestations of this spirit and In
terest are the renewed activity Of the
State Bar Association. the adoption OF
the code of professional ethics, the
| request of the Bar that the judges
of the superior court take means TIC
secure IAN adequate understanding
kOf that code by those admitted to the
bar, and the rule in obedience to
which l address you to-day. And
this indicates no less hearty welcome
and good wishes to you all as you
come into the ranks of our profess
sion, but only greater zeal that you
should know your duties and respon-
sibilities well, and a sincere desire
to help you to do and bear them
faithfully, successfully and honorably
Therefore. let me repeat, study care
fully and observe strictly our state
code of professional ethics.
A distin guished judge, now Presi-
dent of the United States, recently
said:
''I cannot but feel that one of the
great needs of the American bar to-
day is the conviction on the part of
every lawyer that the allegiance
which he owes to the court and to
the government is higher than that
which he owes to his client, and that
there is line beyond which he
should not go in selecting the means
and method of protecting his client
interests.
1.-The desperate remedies which
American lawyers seem willing to
adopt in saving their clients from de-
feat in litigation or punishment in
criminal prosecution find no coun-
terpart in the practice of their broth
er barristers in England.
81 sincerely hope that your school
of law and all other schools of law
will teach with more emphasis than
ever heretofore the ethics of our pro-
fession so as to raise the standard o.
individual members of the bar in res
pect to the allegiance which they owe
to the court and to society in the
conduct of heir cases on behalf OF
their clients
What the conduct of a lawyer
should be is not open to discussion in
this state. In a decision of our SUI
preme court, expressed in the Ian
guage of one who had secured and
and the highest judicial offices. what
,, the lawyer must do and what he
must be have been thus stated:
cit is not enough for an attorney
that he be honest. He must be that
and more. He must be believed to
to the usefulness of an attorney that
he be entitled to the confidence of the
community wherein he practices. Ii
he so conducts in his profession that
he does not deserve that confidence
he is no longer an aid to the court
nor safe guide to his clients. A
lawyer needs, indeed, to be learned
It would be well if he could be learn
ed in all the learning of the schools
There is nothing to which the wit OF
man has been turned that may not
become the subject of his inquiries
Then, of course, he must be specially
skilled in the books and the rules of
his own profession. And he must
have prudence, and tact to use his
learning. and foresight, and industry
and courage. But all these may ex-
list in a moderate degree and yet he
may be creditable and useful mem
Der. of the profession, so long as the
practice is to him clean and hon
est function. But possessing all
these great faculties, IL once the prac-
for hire" or system of legalized
plumber where craft and not con-
science is the rule, and where false
hood and not truth is the means by
which to gain his ends, then he has
forfeited all right to be an officer in
any court of justice or to be num-
bered among the members of an hon
orabIe profession"
To this conception and statement oil
YOUR duties and obligations as mem
bers of this bar, and that contained
in the state code of professional eth
les I have nothing to add, but this
gentlemen, but to them the bar and
court expect that your conduct and
practice will stricly conform. The
oath by which you undertake this will
now be administered to you by the
clerk