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Profession, Many Members I’ve
met many such lawyers in my time, and am meeting many more as I make
the rounds of local bar meetings.
Each local bar has its own personality, traditions and culture,
reflective of the surrounding community.
And the communities themselves — whether drawing their
identity from location, history, ethnic heritage, or some combination
— equip the lawyers with stories, memories, and opportunities
that enrich the time spent among them. We are all engaged in the same profession, but
each community of lawyers offers new angles on the human side of what
we do. Consider
New Ulm, for example. To
celebrate its German heritage, New Ulm marks
the passing of the year with festivals:
Fasching in late winter, Heritagefest
in summer, and Oktoberfest in fall.
Fortunately for me, the 9th District Bar meeting coincided
with Oktoberfest. With business
out of the way, the festival unfolded before us.
The Whoopee John Wilfahrt Band headlined
at the Holiday Inn, while in the city square, Wally Pikal
performed at a street dance. Accompanied
by a tuba, drummer and accordion, Wally played two trumpets, one in
each hand, blowing out of both sides of his mouth at the same time
— and in harmony. As we watched in amazement, a passerby explained
that Wally is a famous personality — he was once on the “Tonight
Show” with Johnny Carson, performing a similar act while jumping
on a pogo stick. Someone suggested
that Wally is to music what comic books are to fine arts.
Before one could say Schell’s Beer, we were kidnapped
by a roving band of Narren
(German for fool or court jester) and led through the streets of town
as a part of a conga dance line. Further
east, along the On
the For
reasons that remain obscure to me, the 17th District Bar Association
meeting is set to coincide with the Kentucky Derby.
But you don’t waste time searching for reasons to have
a good time together. That day in If
you enjoy games of chance, hang around the back room of the Sheep
Shedde Café in Olivia.
While rolling the bones, you can count on the camaraderie of
other attorneys once the 12th District Bar Association concludes its
business. Gathered around a
large round table, this warm and friendly group will test your mettle
at dice and regale you with stories far into the night if you let
them. Golden
arches, Wal-Mart and other franchises are invading smaller cities,
but unique local cultures are intact and our state remains heterogeneous. Similarly, our legal community embraces a rich
diversity of unique individuals and firms.
In
rural areas, most practitioners are in solo practice or in small firms. Most lawyering is
conducted on behalf of individual clients and conflicts of interest
prevent mega firms from dominating local commerce.
Truth be known, most business arrangements between practicing
attorneys in this context are formed not because of economic benefit,
but because of choice. Most
who adopt this lifestyle do so to avoid decision-making by committee.
These lawyers, like their communities, enjoy their own identity
and autonomy. The
special interests and needs of solos and small firms are the focus
of one programming “track” at this year’s convention,
scheduled at Madden’s on DAVID STOWMAN of |
