Letters.

Access to Justice

I am writing in response to the front-page story of the August 1, News "ABA rejects multidisciplinary practices."

The memberships of The Florida Bar as well as numerous other state and local bars and now the American Bar Association have agreed that to allow nonlawyers to engage in the practice of law flouts the core values of the legal profession.

Florida Bar President Herman Russomanno enumerates those core values, concluding with one of the most important, "the lawyer's duty to promote access to justice."

Because we as a profession will not tolerate the unauthorized practice of law, we attorneys alone are able to and must assure that the working poor and lower income members of our community receive the access to justice which they are guaranteed by our laws. We have a system to support the provision of pro bono for this very purpose, a system in which we should all participate and strive to make better.

Each attorney must step up to the plate and accept at least one pro bono case or participate in some other programmatic activity through a regularly constituted legal aid or legal services program. There are many different types of participation available to us all, from individual representation to community education.

The Florida Bar Rules anticipate the seamless delivery of pro bono services through a multitiered program, beginning with local bar and legal services programs, blended with the 20 judicial circuit pro bono...