George had touched on the salary, retirement and judicial immunity issues one day earlier during his State of the Judiciary speech, always given at the State Bar’s annual meeting.
But he also gave a boost to an attorney civility initiative being touted by Sheldon Sloan, whom George swore in as the State Bar’s 82nd president on Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Monterey.
“It is unfortunate but true that there is a need for the bar and the bench to explore this issue and develop ways to decrease the overzealous advocacy that we increasingly encounter,” George said Saturday. “We must remind ourselves that lawyers are not simply advocates � they are officers of the court.”
Winning at any cost simply isn’t acceptable, he said.
“Courts are designed to provide a forum for the peaceful resolution of disputes,” George reminded, “and the practice of law is intended to facilitate that process � not to inflame it.”
* * * *
Sloan continued to show a penchant for the colorful, homespun comment.
A few weeks ago, he defended his civility initiative by saying it was “like an enema for a dead person. It might not help, but it won’t hurt.”
In his inaugural speech on Saturday, Sloan, of counsel at Los Angeles’ Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, said he would be asking leading lawyers and members of the State Bar Board of Governors for commitments, not contributions, during his one-year term.
“You all know the difference between a contribution and a commitment, don’t you?” he asked the crowd. “Well, suppose you had ham and eggs this morning for breakfast; you see, the chicken made a contribution, but the pig made a real commitment.”
* * * *
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