Dean's Address

This is a very perilous attitude as our world becomes smaller; a very dangerous way of looking at a world where events that occur in the far corners of the globe have a direct effect on our daily lives.

In the early 60's, I worked in the summers on my Uncle Charlie's farm.  I would go with him to drink coffee at the local gin near Shallowater, Texas.  The main topic of conversation was the weather and griping about how welfare – paying people not to work - was ruining America.  I always found it ironic that every farmer there was being paid more by the government not to plant cotton than was being paid in welfare to all the poor in Lubbock.  The only foreign country ever discussed was Oklahoma and that was usually restricted to OU football.  A few years ago, I represented a co-op in Levelland, a small town near Lubbock.  The topics of conversation while drinking coffee was very different.  They were talking about OPEC and the price of oil, about drought conditions in Russia, and how important it was for the price of their grain that China retain Most Favored Nation status.  The world has truly changed in the last few years.

At a time when we need friends and allies more than ever, America's image abroad is becoming increasingly negative.  A recent poll conducted in Europe and the Middle East by the Pew Research Center found that discontent with and distrust of America has intensified over the last two years.  Support for America that was at an all time high after 9/11 has now fallen to an all time low.  Of European countries surveyed, only the British had a favorable opinion of the U.S., and it had dropped from 75% to 58%.

Another alarming finding of the poll was that America is losing credibility.  Great Britain was the only country surveyed where a majority believe the United States-led war on terrorism is a sincere effort to reduce international terrorism.  In all other countries surveyed, people believe the United States' true motives were to control Mid East oil, to target unfriendly Muslim governments, to dominate the world.  Large majorities, not only in the Middle East, but in Europe, believe American leaders deliberately lied about weapons of mass destruction in order to invade and occupy Iraq.

Whether or not these perceptions are correct is not the issue, the fact is that people throughout the world do not trust America and the sentiment is growing each day.

All of us know what happens in the courtroom when – rightfully or wrongfully – a jury doubts our sincerity, when the jurors do not perceive us as credible; when they believe we have lied to them.

What is the future of the Academy in the next 50 years?  Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."  I threw that in because Scotty told me that in a substantive speech you need to site at least one philosopher.  Incidentally, Socrates said that when he was a visiting professor at Texas Tech.

As Fellows of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers it is important for us to continue to examine the world, to continue to take advantage of unique educational opportunities afforded to us by the Academy, to strive to be informed citizens of the world, and to continue to be goodwill ambassadors for America.

Here at home, we must continue the struggle so ably fought by Fellows of the Academy over the last 50 years to insure that the American legal system remains the best in the world, to continue to critically examine our country through intellectually stimulating programs like the ones we have had this week, and continue to critically examine our legal system.  Through traveling with the Academy, I have formed a firm conviction that what makes America truly great is not our military might, not our economic prowess – but our legal system.  If America is to remain the greatest country in the world, it will be because of her legal system.  Our system of jurisprudence is superior to any other in the world – not because of constitutions, not because of written statutes and regulations, not because of judicial precedents - it is superior because of the lawyers that make it work - because of lawyers like you.

In closing, I would like to leave you with this one thought, "A cheetah is a very, very fast animal, but a bird dog in the back of a pickup is faster."

Thank you