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Editor's Column

Be-Friending the Election Season
By:  Cameron J. Cox

          The next two months present a number of opportunities for us young lawyers to have our voices heard and to exercise that right we all went to law school to learn about and to protect- the right to vote. We vote in more than just primaries and general elections. We vote for those who oversee our self-governance within the Bar. We vote for those who make decisions affecting our clients with the judiciary. We vote for those writing our local, state and federal laws. We vote for our colleagues, community leaders, and most importantly, we often vote for our friends. We have a duty as lawyers to support these civic leaders who take on the momentous task of being a candidate.

          As lawyers, it is our duty to support those we feel are in the best position to make these decisions- not just vote for them. Yes. You can easily fulfill your duty by going to the polling place and pushing a button for a candidate, but that is what the everyday citizen does.

          As lawyers, we are in the unique position to do more than just vote. This vote affects our daily lives and, at times, our careers. This vote requires more on our part than just a single vote. This vote requires us research those candidates. This vote requires us to inform our friends of whom the candidates are and why we support them. This vote requires us to put a sign in our yard. This vote requires us to vocally or monetarily support a candidate. This vote requires more than being silent- this vote requires us to be vocal.

          As lawyers, we must be-friend those running for office in our communities. I personally have a number of friends running for various offices this season. I know firsthand the long, tortuous, and expensive process running for office is and the effect it has on these candidates and their families. We must be their friend and ally in this elections process because they are doing this for you, me, our colleagues, our clients, and our communities. 

          So, I challenge you over the next few weeks to put a sign in your yard, attend a forum/debate, donate money to a campaign that you favor, hold a sign for a candidate at a polling place, walk the streets for a candidate, tell your friends and colleagues about a candidate your support, and do more than just show up and push a button. Pushing a button is the minimum. As lawyers, we are more than just button pushers- we are advocates.