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7 INCL Brief 1 (1977-1978)

handle is hein.journals/tbrief7 and id is 1 raw text is: Chicago Annual Meeting
Right to
die acts are
attacked
The session attracting the most               '               , '
media attention during the section's             ,          ..
annual meeting in Chicago was the     -                   '    '   i
Right to Die program run by the
Medicine and Law Committee. One
speaker, later surrounded by radio
and press reporters, was Dennis J.
Horan, chairman of the ABA's Right
to Live--Right to Die Committee
and co-author of Death, Dying and
Euthanasia.
Horan attacked the need for right
to die, natural death or living will
acts, contending that physicians are
being hemmed in by such legislation
and finding themselves unable to ex-
ercise their best judgment in doing
so. My own view is that such legisla-
tion is not beneficial and is indeed
counterproductive.
(continued on page 3)
Lawyers' liability coverage is showcased in Chicago

Because  of the   mushrooming
urgency of the problem, the most ex-
tensive and comprehensive program
of the annual meeting was an all-day
Showcase Program addressing the
topic, Can the Lawyer Be Covered?
The Availability of Lawyers' Profes-
sional Liability Insurance.
Held in the sp2cious International
Ballrom of the Conrad Hilton, the
program featured seven speakers who
traced the history of lawyers' liability
law and insurance and then focused
on the problems that exist today.
In order to provide some perspec-

tive, Robert E. Leake, Jr. of New
Orleans looked back at the roots of
the problem. He explained that the
American colonists at first held law-
yers in virtual contempt and efforts
were made to administer justice with-
out lawyers. In the years that fol-
lowed, lawyers were sued often and
successfully.
The situation turned around in the
1870s when voluntary associations of
lawyers, such as the newly-formed
American Biar Association, tightened
admission standards and     codified
legal ethics. From the 1870s into the

time of World War II, there were
very few cases holding lawyers liable
for unintentional negligence.
My, how times have changedl
Leake exclaimed. Since 1945 we
have seen several distinct shifts in
law, none of them favorable to law-
yers. Lack of knowledge of the law,
even in very complex matters is gain.
ing ground as a viable cause of ac-
tion. What remains to be seen is if
lawyers may be sued for alleged er-
rors in the management of a trial,
The shift favoring suits against
(continued on page 22)

Copyright @ 1977 American Bar Association

Produced by the ABA Press

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