My Generation's Task

“My Generation’s Task”An Interview with Melvin White Michael Collins (bio) Melvin White is the immediate past president of the 88,000 member D.C. Bar, the mandatory bar for legal practitioners in Washington, D.C. This interview took place by phone and email, during August and September, 2008 between College Station, TX, and Washington D.C. COLLINS: What is your legal specialty and why did you choose it? WHITE: I am a trial attorney with a focus on complex commercial litigation. Essentially, I am the person that a corporation would turn to assist it to resolve complex business disputes, typically with another corporation. As a “trial” attorney, I am charged with taking the dispute to “trial.” Trial could mean a traditional court with a jury, a traditional court without a jury, or, it could mean what is referred to as “alternative dispute resolution,” for example, arbitration. Typically, corporations settle their disputes before the actual trial. The reason for this is that it is quite rational to expect that the parties, after discovering the details of each other’s positions, would be in a much better position to resolve the dispute than a judge or a jury, both of which are relatively uninformed apart from what the lawyers tell them at trial. Essentially, the threat of a trial creates leverage for settlement. In a few cases, however, trials actually happen, typically, when a party wants to take a stand for a principal, or, perhaps when one party has no leverage to settle and decides to take a chance with the judge or jury. Trials also happen when one of the parties is not rational in assessing the strength of its case. I chose to become a trial attorney because I greatly enjoy the art of persuasion when used to resolve substantial disputes. COLLINS: What is the accomplishment that you are proudest of as a lawyer? WHITE: I am proudest of service to the community throughout my career. Community service is instilled in lawyers from the time we enter law school. We fully recognize that practicing law is a privilege that has been given to us and we want to give back by helping those who are in need. Such service might take many forms. In my own career, I have handled a multitude of pro bono litigation matters for citizens who could not afford to hire a lawyer. It is very gratifying to make such a real difference in the lives of my fellow citizens. My service to the D.C. Bar is also part of my community service of which I am extremely proud. In this position, I enhanced the provision of pro bono legal services to low income citizens by the members of the D.C. Bar. I also provided service to the courts and to my [End Page 1072] fellow lawyers. The Bar serves the courts by aiding the courts with disciplinary matters involving attorneys, maintenance of the rules governing the practice of law, providing continuing legal education for bar members and supporting the courts in putting on judicial conferences. The members of the Bar benefit from one of the nation’s most comprehensive continuing legal education programs, a plethora of programs designed to aid and assist attorneys with their law practices and numerous networking opportunities. COLLINS: Why did you decide to run for president of the DC Bar, and how do you campaign for such an office? WHITE: I decided to run for the presidency because running was the natural evolution of my prior community service activities. I had served on the D.C. Bar Board of Governors for two terms, and, from the very start of my career, I had been involved in community service. One campaigns for the office first by letting one’s interest be known to the Bar leadership. The Board of Governors appoints a nominations committee that recommends two persons to run for president-elect. In order to get one of the nominations, one must have a track record of service to the bar, the community and the profession. The candidates typically are interviewed by the current president, president-elect and executive director and they sit for an extended interview

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