The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-01
PLAN ID RAISE. 'Sl5,000 FUND. ID PURGE BAR
"War Chest" Gets Start At Meeting Attended By Nearly 300 Lawyers Saturday Morning; Subscribe $3,000 ASK CITIZENS AND COURTS TO AID CAMPAIGN WORK Complete DenunCiation Of Ambulance Chasing Made. E. H. Cabaniss Is Named Chairman Of Committee

SildiI iIlOli VI SOi'iiiiittNC lance chasing" and like unethical Saturday morning By the lawyers acts alleged to be in vogue in Bir- mingham legal circles, was made of Jefferson county at meeting held in the late Judge Dan A. Greene's courtroom in the court house. Resolutions condemning all forms of unethical practice and ask ing for the full cooperation of the public in purging the legal profes- sion of attorneys violating the statues of the state, were unani- mously passed.
 Approximately 800 attorneys at tended the meeting and displayed in7 terest in cleansing the legal profes- sion in Birmingham. A fund to as sist in prosecuting the search for unethical attorneys was started and approximately S3.O00 was raised by subscription in the courtroom. Eff teen thousand dollars is the goal set and it is thought that 1t will be reached the early part of this week
 Frank B. Dominick, president oi the Birmingham Bar association, pre- sided over the meeting and acted as general chairman of the affair. F. Il Cabaniss was appointed chairman oi the committee to carry out the in structions in the resolutions.
 O O O
 To Aid Authorities.
 Complete cooperation with county state and federal authorities in stag ing rigid investigation into condi- tions in legal circles here is prom sed in the resolutions. It is also asked that when proceedings are brought against any attorney that a judge from out of the county hear the case, in fairness to all con- cerned.
 The resolutions were passed Satur- day following several speeches made by prominent Birmingham attorneys
 Hugh Locke made a stirring appeal for a complete investigation of the alleged conditions and punishment tc those who were found guilty
 Ambulance chasing is against the law and we all know that law yers are part of the court and are supposed to uphold the law" Judge Locke stated. but when lawyers are always breaking the laws the people cannot have the proper respect for law"
 Ut has been heard right here ir this courtroom that ambulance chas- ing was a dead letter in Birmingham legal ethics. Isn't that a mighty bad message to the young lawyers. IL will get them started wrong and we owe 1t to them to show them that the Birmingham bar does not toll crate these unethical acts, but up- holds all that is becoming to the profession"
 w. Marvin Woodall, assistant city attorney, also spoke for severa minutes upon the importance of es- tablishing the code of ethics of the Birmingham bar to the high place where it rightfully belongs,
 David J. Davis, Hugo Black, Judge E. NJ. Allen and several others made short talks in which they urged the lawyers to have the investigation complete that the charges that Bir- mingham lawyers committed unethi- cal practices without giving it g second thought would be disprovec or upheld
 Suggests Expulsion Laws.
 White Gibson urged that the mem bers of the bar association secure be able to eXpel from membership in the bar the men who were found guilty of chasing ambulances.
 Every lodge, church and severa other organizations can eXpel q member for committing a breach o1 conduct" he stated. why can't W; do that in the bar association? Let's get the proper legislation and ar ringe it so that when a lawyer Is suspected of illegal practice he car be tried by jury of the bar asso- citation and if they see fit he may be expelled.
 Its mighty hard to convince q layman jury that a lawyer is doing anything so bad with this sort ol thing, but we lawyers can easily fint out if the man is guilty or not
 Hugo Black introduced resolu- ton asking that campaign of "edu- cational publicity" be carried on 1T Birmingham newspapers acquainting the Birmingham public of the impor- tance of seeking out the unethica lawyers The resolution was passed to a committee.
 vote of thanks was extended the lawyers who represented the bar as sociation in the recent proceedings to disbar Fred Fite. These attor- neys were Horace Wilkinson ano c. P. Beddow.
 the attorneys to be brought up ir the future on charges of unethica1 practice heard by circuit judge o1 the county and not the bar assocl- ation met with approval among the attorneys. This plan was suggested by Attorney Woodall.
 Federal Court Appealed To.
 The United States district court was appealed to for grand jury in- yestigation of legal conditions when the county grand Jury HoiuS i.' probe, in the resolutions passed Sat urday.
 Complete resolutions of the com mittee in charge follow:
 "Whereas. on the twelfth day O. April, 1922 the lawyers of Jefferson county in an open meeting attended by an overwhelming majority of the lawyers of the county, unanimously condemned the solicitation and run ming of cases, which in the past had to certain extent been practiced by some of our members, as unethical and illegal; and
 "Whereas. following such meeting 229 lawyers of our county signed a written agreement condemning such unethical practice and agreeing tc use their best efforts in sustaining the grievance committee of the local bar and assisting in establishing and maintaining the high Ideals and ethics of our profession, and
 "Whereas, in accordince with such agreement, this association has pre- pared and presented certain charges and
 'sWhereas, notwithstanding such