Recent News

The John Mercer Langston Bar Association kicked off its Speakers Series with an “An Interview with The Honorable Robert M. Duncan” on September 27. The retired judge of the U.S. District Court, Southern Ohio shared his experience from 55 years of practicing law to a group of attorneys gathered at the Baker & Hostetler offices.

 

Judge Duncan is a living history book of significant events in the Columbus legal community, with arguably the most notable being the landmark decision he wrote to desegregate the Columbus Public Schools in 1966. Currently retired, Judge Duncan has a designated professorship named in his honor at the Moritz College of Law created by the Moritz law alumni at Jones Day.

 

Highlights of his presentation included insights of the impact of the legal profession, education, and culture on his life and practicing attorneys today. According to Duncan, innovation, invention and excellence in production are hallmarks of the American success formula. He challenged this group of primarily African American attorneys to join the historical ranks of attorneys preceding them to hammer out intelligent solutions to issues that have personal and global implications.

 

This speaker series continues with one each month through May 2008 and can be viewed in detail on the website of the John Mercer Langston Bar Association, www.jmlba.org.