Recent News

May 4, 2007

Bruce Lynn celebrates the big five oh!

"Do the math" probably won't help you understand why there should be a big hurrah. It's not the usual attorney anniversary. Bruce has been a J.D. far surpassing a half century.

He was admitted to the Ohio Bar three months before Pearl Harbor, 1941, graduate of Harvard Law School. You would have to be an old timer (excuse the expression) or look into Columbus Bar archives to know that Bruce Lynn was president of the association, 1956-57. Fifty years ago, high time for a cheer.

During his year of leadership, Bruce was practicing with Sam Porter at Porter Stanley Treffinger & Platt, 50 West Broad—the only true high rise in Central Ohio (where many Columbus attorneys have kept quarters sometime during their practice). Later, his tower mates were John Bricker and John Eckler, practicing law together, but the name on the shingle was Bricker Marburger Evatt & Barton. (John W. Bricker, was a United States senator and running mate with Thomas E. Dewey on the 1944 Republican ticket for the White House.)

It was a very good year for our Bar. There were about 1100 attorneys listed in the directory (costing one dollar) and most of them were members. Committees flourished. Investigating Section, Legal Aid, Radio, Television, Noon Luncheon (which was high priority because the speakers were often update presenters—this being long before mandatory CLE.) Young or new lawyers, secure in their rookie status, called themselves Junior Lawyers. Keith McNamara was chair, and John Adams, Tom Moody, Dean Strausbaugh, and Harry Wright III were all on the roster. Norton Webster was on the Public Relations committee; Keith McNamara on the Television committee. Annual dues were $12.50. (The Chief Justice was Carl Weygandt—one of the six judges, Sixth Circuit, was “Miss” Florence E. Allen.)

Bruce Lynn’s remarks at his induction luncheon, fifty years ago, are timely still. He spoke to the unauthorized practice of law. “While we can prevent others from performing legal services…we must justify our exclusions of others by continually increasing our ability to render service.” About grievance procedures, “…what shakes public confidence is the failure of the profession  to weed out the irresponsible member… who trades on the good name of profession and does not live up to the standards that merit the public trust….” He pledged support of the Legal Aid Society and challenged the Bar to take part in an earnest evaluation of candidates for the bench, precursor to the performance and preference polls.

In closing, President Lynn referring to his ABA and regional meetings and activities said the Columbus Bar was “one of the most, if not the most, active bar associations in the country. Ideas which originated within our own association are now adopted and used widely.” Times have not changed so much.

That’s the way it was, 1957. Now, let’s celebrate Bruce Lynn’s big five oh.