Legal News

It?s Law Day! Let?s Take a Look Back . . . .

By Dan Slater

Cinco de Mayo celebrations may be just around the corner, but the Law Blog’s got its own spring party to worry about.

Happy Law Day, Loyal Law Blog Readers!

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of Law Day, established in 1958 by President Eisenhower (We Like Ike!) — and later codified in 36 U.S.C. § 113 — to cultivate the “respect for law that is so vital to the democratic way of life” and to inspire equality and justice in “relations with each other and with other countries.” Many believe that, in the context of the escalating Cold War, the date of May 1 was chosen to stand as a counterpoint to the May Day holiday celebrated by perceived Communist and labor movements around the world. (It’s also North Korea Freedom Week — everybody’s in!)

To wit, the Law Blog arrived this morning to a press release from the White House press secretary:

The theme of this year’s Law Day, “The Rule of Law: Foundation for Communities of Opportunity and Equity”. . . .We pay tribute to the men and women in America’s legal community. . . .On Law Day, U.S.A., our Nation celebrates our belief in the equality of each person before God and renews our commitment to strive to bring America ever closer to its founding ideals. . . .NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH . . . . call upon all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

We’ll leave the party planning in your capable hands, LB’ers, and trust you’ll remember to send any evites our way. In the meantime, all this hullabaloo over Law Day gives us a chance to look back over the last year or so and ask, just how are the “men and women in America’s legal community” faring these days?

Granted, here at the Law Blog we often find ourselves chronicling the darker side of the profession. And we’ve been busy. On the plaintiffs side, Messrs. Weiss, Lerach and Scruggs have been generous in their offerings. In the private sector, we’ve seen sanctions and admonishments over foreclosure proceedings, and BigLaw partners bilking their clients. In government, we watched a prominent governor crash to earth, not to mention an embattled DOJ try to right its ship post-Gonzales.

What do you think about the state of the profession, LB’ers? Has the last year been particularly ugly for legal eagles? If so, what can we do to improve the state of things?

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on May 01, 2008 (boomark / email).