Proud to serve, proud to lead, proud to be a lawyer

Listen to this article

I am proud to be an attorney and a member of this legal community.  Of course, I am also proud to be your Monroe County Bar Association President.  If it is possible to be prouder than I already am, the last two weeks have certainly done that.  Over the last two weeks, I have been repeatedly reminded of how important the legal profession is and all the important and relevant work that the MCBA and our partners at the Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys, the Rochester Black Bar Association and the court system do.

This past weekend, the MCBA kicked off our Leadership Academy.  On a Saturday morning, in -2-degree temperatures, seven judges gave up their time to talk to our future leaders.  One thing all of the judges discussed was their “why;” the reason that they entered the legal profession and became judges.  Their reasons all came down to a passion to help people. To serve our community.  To solve problems.  To do justice.  That is what we do as lawyers.  Everyday.

Last week, our Monroe County Bar Association Board of Trustees agreed to support the Article III Coalition, a group of retired federal court judges who were appointed by presidents of both political parties.  These retired judges have dedicated themselves to providing civic education regarding “why an independent judiciary matters, how courts safeguard rights and maintain constitutional checks and balances, and the critical role that impartial justice plays in keeping our republic.”  In short, they are defending the constitution.  Our Board, like all attorneys, have an obligation to support the constitution.  When we, as lawyers in New York State were admitted to the practice of law, we were required to publicly proclaim “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the constitution of the United States.”

Two weeks ago, over 200 new attorneys took that same oath to support the constitution.  The MCBA was at the admission ceremony at the Auditorium Theatre to welcome the new admittees to our profession.  Two of those who were admitted were Niharah Shillingford and Dylan Feliciano, who I got to know when they participated in RBBA’s Hon. Roy W. King Diversity Clerkship Program.  Another new admittee was Mia Forney, a Leadership Academy participant.  Congratulations to all of our new attorneys!  Young Lawyer Section Chair Christine Naassana and YLS member/Trusts & Estates Section Chair Delany Glaze were interacting with our new colleagues, including inviting them to the Young Lawyers’ Trivia Night on February 3.  I look forward to seeing you at Trivia Night!  The energy and enthusiasm of the new attorneys was infections, as was their desire to enter the profession to do justice.

During the admission ceremony, the keynote address was made by NYS Supreme Court Justice Amy C. Martoche, the Administrative Judge from the Eight Judicial District.  She implored the new attorneys to think about “What is justice?”  That was a central question in these past two weeks.  This question came up when RBBA President/MCBA Diversity Committee Chair Curtis Jones hosted a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event at the Little Theatre, a screening of “King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis.”  It came up again when the Lawyers Coalition for Racial and Social Justice, a collaboration between GRAWA, RBBA and the MCBA, hosted Know Your Rights:  Community Response to ICE Activity.  The Coalition, led by Co-Chairs Erin Elmouji and Jill Paperno, welcomed approximately 500 people to this important and timely informational session.

During the admission ceremony, the screening of the King movie, and the Know Your Rights event, I was reflecting on Justice Martoche’s question, “What is justice?”  In 1963, in Alabama, some people such as Birmingham’s Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene “Bull” Connor defined justice as upholding the law by releasing police dogs and turning fire hoses onto peaceful protestors.  Martin Luther King, Jr.’s response to police dogs and fire hoses, in a letter written from the Birmingham jail, was the proclamation that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  History has judged which of these positions is correct.  We celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday as a national holiday.  We do not celebrate Bull Connor’s birthday.

Despite the lessons that Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us sixty years ago, in today’s world a segment of our population define justice in the same terms as Bull Connor.  Some in our federal administration believe justice comes from the use of tear gas or bullets aimed at peaceful protestors.

In his Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. explained his process for preparing for the nonviolent, peaceful protests in Birmingham.  He noted that they held workshops on how to conduct nonviolent protests.  They prepared by asking participants if they were able to suffer beatings without retaliating.  They also asked, “Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?”

In a sign of the times, during the Lawyers Coalition’s Know Your Rights program, these same questions were discussed.  The amazing experts that spoke during this program provided information on many aspects of immigration law.  They spoke about the rights that people have and how to assert them when confronted by ICE or Border Patrol.  The Lawyers Coalition provided a great public service.

All of the great work being done by the MCBA and our partners GRAWA, RBBA, and the court system, along with the enthusiasm and idealism of our new attorneys fills me with hope that in sixty years, or in 160 years, we will still be celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  I believe this because, as Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Mark Funk is President of the Monroe County Bar Association. He can be reached at [email protected].