In some cities, when the American Bar Association arrives for its annual meeting, the locals sit up and notice. But in New York City, the influx of 10,000 lawyers and their families is taken in stride, barely interrupting the chaotic, vibrant flow of Manhattan life. But as always the annual meeting is worth a visit.
Some highlights... The image of Pakistani lawyers dressed in black suits, using their briefcases to wave off tear gas, was a memorable image from the judicial crisis that faced Pakistan not too long ago. Aitzaz Ahsan of the Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association, one of those lawyers, was honored by the ABA with a Rule of Law Award Saturday... The biggest buzz at the ABA Expo, where hundreds of vendors sought to catch the eye of lawyers, was the launch of whocanisue.com, a new Web site that promises to match lawyers with potential clients in a way that does not violate ethics rules. Any hesitancy lawyers once had about their ambulance-chasing image seems to be fading... One of the top 10 best venues for a reception has to be Ellis Island, and that's where the Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice section went, via chartered ferry, on Friday night. With the Statue of Liberty not far away, the section gave Liberty Achievement Awards to Catherine Christian of the New York County District Attorney's Office, and Judge Bernice Donald of the U.S. District Court for the Western District ofTennessee, for their work in diversifying the bar. Donald, secretary-elect of the ABA and on track to become president, called Ellis Island "hallowed ground" that symbolizes the nation's diversity... Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times more than 35 years ago, does a very good imitation of Richard Nixon's voice. That was apparent at a panel discussion on the role of the press in times of war. Ellsberg and others saw strong parallels with the recent furor over the Times' disclosure of a secret program to wiretap conversations between citizens and foreigners without a warrant. Would the press win the Pentagon Papers case before today's Supreme Court? Yes, said Floyd Abrams, who was part of the legal team defending the Times in the Pentagon Papers case... Judges need to "explain ourselves, not just orally in court, but in written opinions," said Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Friedman was speaking at a panel on "judges under fire" and what should be done when judges are attacked for rendering unpopular opinions. But Friedman and other judges on the panel, clinging to a tradition that is sometimes baffling, expressed reservations about judges speaking to the media to respond to criticism, preferring to let surrogates — the local bar or others — to defend them. Why can't judges speak to the media about a completed case to explain their rulings? We'll never know...
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