The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-09-10
Windham County Bar Adopt
ed Resolutions Looking
to Needed Reforms
BENCH AND BAR
HAVE BEEN REMISS
Court Approves Action of Attorneys
Movement in Accordance With De-
sire of American Bar Association -
This County Takes Lead.

oAiC VI bdI ASSOCIATION
This County Takes Lead.
The Windham' county bar at meet
ing held at the noon recess of court
yesterday adopted the following resolu-
tions and rules:
'The Windham county bar. desirous
Of promoting certain reforms in court
practice and procedure, to the end of
simplifying and bettering the practice
of law in the county and of expediting
legal procedure, adopts the following
rules and requests the Honorable
County Court for Windham county to
enforce the same:
t. Counsel proposing to introduce
exhibits shall, whenever practicable,
have the same marked for Identified
tion by the reporter outside the court
session. The reporter shall keep sec
ret the markings and identity of pro-
posed exhibits until the same are of
fered in court.
/ FL Counsel shall confer with the
court before the commencement of
+ jury trial and undertake to determine
an,l when so agreed upon the same shall
T be put upon the record in the presence
+ Of the jury by court or counsel as the
court may direct; and thereupon coun-
sci shall confne the trial to the issues
involved
III. Counsel shall not discuss any
i objection to evidence or any offer of
evidence unless called upon to do so
f nv ha nd onIx hn
point for which the court requires.
Offers of or objections to evidence
shall conciseIy state the points of the
+ objection or offer without more.
.'IV. Counsel shall not comment
upon a ruling of the court nor engage
in discussion or controversy with each
other All discussion except arguments
to the jury shall be addressed to the
court, as shall all requests.
"V. The court is requested to di-
rect that in all cases of objection an
exception shall be noted as matter
Of course and without request or di-
reotion therefor except where the court
shall distinctly rule as a matter of
discretion. in which case an exception,
if one is claimed, shall be specifically
noted
committee of the bar at the opening
of the afternoon session and the court
expressed its hearty approval of the
action of the bar, ordered the rules
and resolutions to be spread upon the
records of the court and until further
notice to be printed in the records of
each docket
This action by our bar is the out
of mt nv
American Bar association, which is un-
dertaking through its proper commit
tees to bring about reforms in judicial
procedure and to expedite causes in
court The American Bar association
has gone into the matter comprehen-
sivelv, but not particularly dealing
with things pertaining to practice dur
ing trials but it has been urged that
! the state and local bar associations
: should undertake themselves to reform
any fault which obtains in the prac-
tice locally. Committees of the Yer
; mont State Bar association are work
ing to the same end.
The lawyers of Windham county
have taken this up, frankly reeogniz
; ing that the lawyers have been to a
considerable extent at fault in permit
E ting our terms of court to drag as they
have dragged, and that a disregard
of some principles of ethics and 9
want perhaps, of some simple rules OF
procedure. have resulted in vexatiou'
and expensive prolongation of trials
in our county court.
1t has been suggested that the pre-
siding Judges have been somewhat tC
blame for this by permitting needless
discussion and unnecessary interrup
tions during trials. But wherever the
: blame should rest, it is praiseworthy
= that the lawyers themselves are taking
c hold of it, 1t is not claimed tha
e these simple rules adopted by th'
! Windham county bar are anything fun
e damental They relate only to simple
I matters of court procedure, but those
who are in a position to know asser
that the enforcement of these simple
rules ought to work great chang'
for the better in the practive in Wind
ham county. If the lawyers in othe
counties in the state would follow
Z. suit. it would be well.
State 5 Attorney A. " D. Piper o
; this town presided at the meeting
which was attended b about % mem
bers.