Jacqueline Sheridan, the Vice Chair of the Initiative, and I, the Chair, are excited about bar year 2010 and the Civility and Professionalism Initiative.
As part of our planning for the 2010 year, we encourage anyone interested in civility and professionalism to contact us about getting involved. There are numerous ways that DRI young lawyers can become involved with the Initiative, and we will welcome all who show an interest in participating. I would like to take this opportunity to explain what the Initiative is, and to offer some suggestions about how to become involved in the Initiative.
The primary goal of the Initiative is to further civility and professionalism in the legal environment. The Initiative seeks to deliver and reinforce the message that civility and professionalism should be the standard learned by all attorneys during those first formative years when lawyers begin to learn how to interact with one another, their clients, and their community as a whole. The goal of the initiative is to reach young lawyers at that critical juncture of their careers. All of the Initiative's plans in bar year 2010 are intended to further this goal.
The Initiative is looking forward to publishing two more articles for the Whisper this year, and we are currently seeking authors with substantive topics on ethics and professionalism. An article published in the Whisper by our subcommittee can either focus on a specific or fact-driven ethical scenario that young lawyers often face, or the article can simply address the author's experiences and recommendations on how best to maintain civility and professionalism in the legal community. If you are interested in authoring an article for the Whisper, let us know.
Finally, we are open to other suggestions about how to achieve the Initiative's goals. We encourage and welcome your involvement. If you are interested in becoming involved in the Initiative please contact me, Robin Beardsley, at rbeardsley@sirote.com or Jacqueline Sheridan at jsheridan@ulmer.com. 
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