Questions at the Bar

I got a letter from the State Bar. This is only a notch below getting one from the IRS in anxiety production.

It turned out to be from the Office of Admissions. A questionnaire asking my opinion of the "moral character" of someone who has applied to the Bar.

As lawyers are an anal-retentive lot, they felt it necessary to define their terms.

"Moral character includes qualities of honesty, fairness, candor, trustworthiness, observance of fiduciary responsibility, respect for and obedience to the laws ... and respect for the rights of others and for the judicial process."

Although I’ve known this applicant and his family all of his life, I had to think long and hard about these issues. Knowing that he had been an Eagle Scout helped ... not sure if he earned the "fiduciary responsibility" merit badge, though.

Anyway, I checked the box.

That the Bar cares about these qualities in lawyers may come as a shock to anyone familiar with lawyer jokes or movies. You might think the qualifications demanded more realistic qualities:

... dissembling, ruthlessness, deception, backstabbing, greed, ability to parse the law, trampling the rights of individuals as well as the process...

Maybe the questionnaire should be part of a continuing investigation, asked say every year about every lawyer already admitted to practice.

Then I would really sweat the State Bar letters ... more than the ones from the IRS.

Anyway, good luck, Red. (See my other post about this subject.)