The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-12-14
Bar Needs Better Organization

From time to time various bar associations dis
methods for improving the practice of law. Re-
Gently lawyers of New York, including some judges,
undertook to do something about the lawyer known
as the ambulance chaser. Fortunately they tackled
both wings of the problem and the ambulance chaser
who chases for the corporation well the chaser
who chases the victim of accident in for crit
icism. Undoubtedly improvement Of bad
situation will come of this ADMINISTRATION by the
legal fraternity.
However, they have merely scratched the surface
For long long time the more eminent members of
the bar especially those known as corporation law
yers have sought ways to put crmp in the activities
of lawyers who represent clients suing for damages
and who too often resort to crooked methods in their
practice But evil as ambulance chasing u.s. there are
other evils connected with the practice of law that
affect more people than ambulance chasing does.
These evils grow out of the character of some
lawyers who never should have been admitted to the
bar. The criminal minded as we'll as the clean
minded graduate from law colleges and pass
bar examinations and modern crime is well organ
lied that crooks have their mouthpieces lawyers
in every large community.
While all lawyers are officers of the courts of
justice, many of the criminal lawyers make their
money helping criminals to defy the law and escape
punishment for their violation of it, In other words
they help fight law and order
There is in all forms of organized activity
tendency toward such complete organization leads
toward selfgovernment. In recent years there have
been established courts of arbitration in which dis
putes settled by experts and without resort to
courts of justice.
That is business is developing its courts in
which the fact-fndng is done by business experts.
That seems to be much than leaving business
disagreements to judge and jury who know nothing
about the business except what they learn wit
nesses in trial
But the profession best fitted by education and
training to organize itself into self-governing
organism is the legal profession 1t is easily possible
for lawyers to organize bar association in every
community of any considerable size, so that every
reputable lawyer would be member and dsreputable
lawyers could be kept out.
IT, then the public to understand that a
lawyer member of the organization could be depended
upon because vouched for by his organization clients
naturally would go to members of the organization
when in need of a lawyer
With cooperation of the courts, disbarment of
disreputable lawyers would be a simple operation.
lawyers who don't go in for that practice are.
But while we have many bar associations they really
don't mean much, if anything at ALL to the public,
and not much they might to the legal
profession itself.
In short, the legal profession is not organized.
There is better organization and hence better self
government of the medical profession. The gradual
but steady evolution of business toward higher stand
ards is due to better organization and increasing
capacity for self-government.