Evening star., 1938-06-23
DEBATE
:, ON REQUIREMENTS
Discussion Slated Tonight
at Meeting of Bar at
MayfIoWer Hotel.

The Districts lawyers will debate
the question Of whether two years OF
college-or its equivalent-should be
required for pre-legal education at a
special meeting Of the Bar Associa-
ton. to be held at 8 o'clock tonight
at the Mayhower Hotel. But, regard
less of the outcome. the justices Of
the United States District Court here
must order the standards raised, if
they are to be, before they become
binding.
Leading the proponents will be Her
bert M. Bingham. chairman of the
Committee on Standards of Legal
Education and Admissions to the Bar,
which has urged a two-year college
pre-legal requirement. The commit
tee holds there are educational insti-
tutions that, by examination, can de-
termine the cultural level of an indi-
vidual and II he has the equivalent
Of two years of college he should be
permitted to study law.
The 0mcf1 leader of the opposition
to the adoption Of the report viii be
William G. Sullivan, a member Of the
committee. who did not sign it. While
he personally is not opposed to higher
educational requirements, he believes
there should be q substitute for the
report, setting out that no newly
admitted member of the bar should
handle q. case by himself in court.
Probationary Period.
He should be required to associate
himself with an experienced lawyer, so
that the interests of his client should
be the better preserved, in Mr.. Sulli-
vans opinion. This probationary Pc
riod. in trial practice, should be from
three to five years, but not necessarily
in another lawyers Office, Mr.. Sulh-
van says. He favors a coaching Pc
riod. similar to that in vogue in New
Jersey and England, holding that the
great trouble with the bar today Is
that there are SO many lawyers at
tempting to handle matters beyond
their comprehension"
One Of the most outspoken members
OF the opposition Is John Paul Earnest,
chairman Of the Committee on Ad-
missions to the Bar of the United
States District Court. He declares the
American Bar Association is out of
sympathy with the proposal to raise
educational standards here and brands
the proposal "a gross injustice" He
explains that the District is peculiar
IN its status, inasmuch as many young
women and men in the Government
study law here merely to attain a
professional status and so secure more
salary. His position is that the two
year pre-legal requirement is but an
opening wedge to greater restrictions,
leading to three years of college, then
four and, finally, setting up the re-
quirement that only designated insti-
tutions Of learning would be on the
approved list.
Il do think the Bar Association
should courageously meet the issue
and not dispose of 1t by any parlia-
mentary maneuvers," Mr.. Bingham
declared today.
Increase Made in 1926.
Mr.. Bingham recalls that in 1925
the District Bar Examining Commit
tee increased pre-legal educational re-
quirements here to high-school di-
ploma, as that was the majority re-
quirement of the United States at
that time. Now, he says, there are only
two Jurisdictions in the United States
the District of Columbia and Ar
kansas-that do not have the higher
educational qualifications, suggested
either by the bar association of the
jurisdiction or the court itself.
Further, Mr.. Bingham says, an
analysis shows that the lawyer with
college training has almost double the
earning capacity Of one who lacks it.
Speaking with Mr.. Bingham, in
favor of the adoption Of the report,
will be: Col. Walter c. Clephane, one
Of the bar examiners; Crandall Mac
key, Fred Myer, George A. Chadwick,
jr., and Benjamin L. Topper, the COM
mittee chairman explained.