Citizens Forum is a 'guiding influence' for the Bar.

You don't have to have a law degree to give advice to lawyers.

Created as a way to establish a dialogue between the legal profession and Florida's major citizen constituencies, the Bar's Citizens Forum provides the Board of Governors a public perspective about issues the profession faces and also to suggest steps that can be taken to help the public better understand the lawyers' place in our society, according to Bar President Herman Russomanno.

"The forum provides a guiding influence to the Bar on a number of critical issues," Russomanno said. "The citizens' constituency is so helpful for the Bar. I look at it as an advisory sounding board which assists the Bar, its Board of Governors, divisions, sections, committees, and staff, by providing recommendations, suggestions and opinions relating to the many issues facing the legal profession."

The Citizens Forum was created in 1998 to establish a dialogue between the legal profession and Florida's major citizen constituencies, to increase public input to the board about legal issues and to provide a mechanism for improving public knowledge about lawyers and the legal system. The Board of Governors, however, is turning to the Citizens Forum for advice more frequently.

"The Citizens Forum helps us focus on how lawyers can help people and provides us with leadership to assist the Bar in its programs and activities as we strategically plan for the 21st century," Russomanno said. "Having people from outside of the legal community look at the issues and offer opinions helps us think outside of the legal parameters."

"The Citizens Forum has earned its stripes," said Park Trammell, Bar communications director, noting that several times during the Board of Governors debate on merit selection and retention at its February meeting, board members cited forum comments and opinions. He said it was "the first major acknowledgment of the benefit the Citizens Forum could provide in helping the Bar leadership get an outside perspective on the issues.

While other state bars have conducted public outreach programs, "Florida is the first and only state bar with a continuing advisory committee made up of mostly nonlawyers," said Jack Sweeney of the ABA Justice Initiative.

The Citizens Forum may serve as a template for other national and international organizations, as evidenced by a recent inquiry from Jackie Saisithidej, a researcher for the Australian Law Reform Commission: The commission is considering...