President’s Message
President’s Message
First, I would like to thank Janet Sozio for her thought-provoking editorial letter included in this month’s Straight Word. Any association or representative body is only strengthened through spirited discussion. That being said, I also believe it merits a response.
Our Association has addressed two “political” issues referenced in this letter. The first action referenced was an editorial I submitted to the Burlington County Times on behalf of our Association in November 2011, which was published in our Straight Word in December. That editorial was in response to the Burlington County Times editorial and Governor Christie’s comments in opposition to Judge Feinberg’s ruling that judges are exempt from the new law requiring State employees to contribute to pensions and healthcare benefits. The second was our recent resolution opposing the proposed merger of Rutgers University Camden into Rowan University. Both of these actions were carried out through a vote by our Board of Trustees, which consists of sixteen (16) voting members chosen by our Association represent it.
In order to discuss the reasoning behind these actions, a good starting point is a review of our Mission Statement which is attached for your reference. In term of the editorial about judicial pensions, the primary goal was “to improve the administration of justice by promoting the independence of the judiciary”. It also “served the public by promoting a better understanding by the public of legal problems, lawyers, and the justice system”. Our editorial accomplished these goals by reminding the public that our Constitution specifically protected the independence of the judiciary, so that our judges never have to be concerned about retaliation from the executive or legislative branch when making a difficult decision.
In terms of the recent resolution opposing the merger of Rutgers Camden into Rowan, the most applicable goal is to “serve the public by facilitating and promoting the delivery of quality legal services”. Also overlapping would be the improvement of the administration of justice by “advancing the art of advocacy”. This one might not be as obvious as the judicial independence application above, but the goals were no less achieved by this act. In discussing this issue with our Board of Trustees, our Board of Trustees overwhelmingly agreed that a large number of our members have consistently graduated from Rutgers Camden Law School, and thus the loss of the law school would have a significant affect on the “delivery of quality legal services” in Burlington County. No data released in support of the proposed merger has established how a Top Tier law school such as Rutgers University Camden could maintain such a rating or even meet basic accreditation standards if merged into Rowan University. A merger such as this, which is unprecedented in higher education, is of no comparison to a simple change in the name of college.
While I appreciate the concern raised by Ms. Sozio and others, past and present, about our Association getting too involved in political issues and potentially alienating members opposed to our positions, I firmly stand by our actions under my leadership and will continue to support such actions in the future. I do agree that we should exercise caution in how far we go in taking a position on a politically charged issue, as we did in both of these cases, but total avoidance would ignore our mission. We could easily stick to Section 1 of our Mission Statement and just plan seminars and dinners. They are of great value to our members and for many out there, that is all we do. I believe our members and the public deserve much better than that.
Mission Statement
1. To serveBurlingtonCounty Bar Association members by:
- Providing membership benefits which enhance the members’ ability to practice law competently and ethically;
- Providing opportunities for cordial professional and social activities.
2. To improve the administration of justice by:
- Promoting and advancing improvements in the Courts and Judicial system and the science of jurisprudence;
- Advancing the art of advocacy;
- Promoting the independence of the Judiciary.
3. To serve the public by:
- Promoting a better understanding by the public of legal problems, lawyers and the justice system;
- Facilitating and promoting the delivery of quality legal services;
- Promoting full and equal access to the legal system by all individuals