President's Corner

Delaware Inns of Court – Welcome to the Newest Inn

by Charles S. McDowell, Esquire

During this last year it has been a great pleasure for me to learn about the many ways that Delaware lawyers contribute to our profession. One of the most important functions of Bar organizations is the mentoring of new lawyers, improving their skills and inculcating the traditions of civility and professionalism that are the hallmarks of the Delaware Bar. These activities are carried out by a number of organizations, including Sections of the Bar Association, particularly the New Lawyers, the Multicultural Judges and Lawyers and the Women and the Law Sections. Important contributions are also made by the Superior Court Trial Practice Forum, the Delaware Chapters of the American Board of Trial Lawyers and the Federal Bar Association, as well as the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association, the Defense Counsel of Delaware, and the St. Thomas More Society. But I think the most significant of these organizations has become the Inns of Court.

The American Inns of Court got its beginning in the early 1980s when Chief Justice Warren Burger established an Ad Hoc Committee of the National Judicial Conference. Modeled after the British theme of apprenticeship, the goal of the Inns of Court is to promote civility, professionalism and excellence in lawyering. The Inns bring together younger lawyers with more experienced lawyers and judges to provide mentoring and substantive skills training. Beginning this spring, we now have five Inns in Delaware.

It is interesting to note the leadership of Delaware lawyers in the American Inns of Court movement. Judge Kent Jordan, while he was still a law student, participated in the establishment of an Inn sponsored by Georgetown University. In 1985 Judge Jordan and Kevin Brady, who were both clerking for Judge Latchum at the time, with the significant leadership of Judge Latchum and the Widener University Law School, spearheaded the establishment of Delaware’s first Inn, the Richard S. Rodney Inn of Court. Jordan and Brady had developed a great appreciation for the value of “inside” training from Judge Latchum, and they worked to promote the Rodney Inn so more young lawyers could get the benefit of this mentoring from experienced practitioners and judges. Today, the Rodney Inn of Court has 110 members and its President is Judge Peggy Ableman of the Superior Court.

In 1991, the second Delaware Inn, the Terry-Carey Inn of Court, was created to provide an Inn more convenient for Kent and Sussex County lawyers. Founded by leaders of the downstate Bar, including Justices Holland and Steele, the Terry-Carey Inn also is a trial practice Inn with about 80 members. Its current president is Judge Mardi Pyott of the Family Court.

With the success of the Rodney and the Terry-Carey Inns, two specialty practice Inns have now been established – the Melson Arsht Inn focusing on Family Court trial practice and the Collins J. Seitz Bankruptcy Inn. The Melson Arsht Inn has been in existence since 2001 and has about 90 members. Judge Mark Buckworth is the current President. The Collins J. Seitz Bankruptcy Inn was created in 2002; it has about 100 members and its current Co-Presidents are Judges Tom Ambro and Mary Walrath.

The Inns meet once a month from September to May. Each month a group of new lawyers, more experienced practitioners, and members of the judiciary present a substantive program on an assigned topic. The topics include trial skills with a professionalism component. Following the substantive program, the members have dinner to foster interaction among the newer members and the more experienced members of the Bench and Bar. In addition to following the once a month meeting format, the Terry-Carey Inn travels to other countries to visit other Inns.

The evolution of the Delaware Inns, and the leadership of Delaware lawyers, is on-going. Last fall Geoff Gamble presented to the Board of Trustees of the American Inns of Court the idea of creating an Inn focusing on pro bono activities, particularly for in-house counsel and non-litigators. Last month, an organizing group led by Geoff, Justice Holland and former Justice Joseph Walsh met and filed with the national organization the charter for the Delaware Pro Bono Inn of Court. This Pro Bono Inn is the first in the nation and could become a model for the rest of the country. This newest Inn is expected to provide an opportunity for in-house lawyers to team up with private practitioners; it will provide an outlet for senior/retired lawyers who want to continue to serve the community by providing pro bono legal services; and it may also tap into the resources of the many Delaware paralegals who can be very helpful in the delivery of pro bono services.

Finally, no discussion of the Inns of Court movement would be complete without recognizing the very significant contribution that has been made by Justice Holland both in Delaware and on the national level. In 1992, Justice Holland was the President of the Terry-Carey Inn and he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Inns of Court. In 2004, Justice Holland is just completing his second term as the President of the American Inns Board. Last month, the Delaware Inns held a joint meeting in which they honored Justice Holland for his contributions and leadership in the Inns of Court.

As our Bar continues to get larger so that it is very difficult to maintain that close-knit feeling that we have historically enjoyed, these organizations are serving the very important function of promoting civility, professionalism, and excellence in lawyering in Delaware. We can all be proud to be members of a Bar that continues to value so highly these characteristics of our profession. If you are interested in learning more about these organizations you should contact any of the leaders mentioned above.

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Charlie is a partner with Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP and he can be reached at (302) 984-6012 or cmcdowell@potteranderson.com

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