Time's running out to vote on rule changes

At 5:00 p.m. on February 17, voting on the proposed changes to the Texas disciplinary rules will come to an end. I'm fairly certain that most of the folks who plan on voting have already done so -- but I'm sure there are a few stragglers out there who haven't taken the time to vote yet.

Mark Bennett and I have written extensively about the proposed changes, but here are some more voices you might not have heard:

Jon Malone --

1. "The rules are poorly drafted, not needed, and benefit  neither  lawyers , clients nor the citizens of the State of Texas, for whom these rules were ultimately designed to protect.

    2.    The  State  Bar officers are lobbying and using their positions of power to affect the outcome of
            the vote on these matters, - a clear conflict of interest;

    3.    The State Bar is using funds obtained by our membership fees to lobby on political issues-
            an inappropriate and offensive use of  public funds."

*****

Michael J. Whitten --

"These proposed amendments, in my view, will be expensive to implement and do not really address anything that is a problem. The proposals are a classic example of appointing a committee to address a 'problem' and the committee feeling compelled to come up with a solution to the 'problem,' without having any empirical data to evaluate the degree and extent of the perceived problem."

*****

H. Deloyd Bailey --

"While we may need some revisions in our current rules, I agree that overall this fix flies in the face of the sage advice, 'If if ain't broke don't fix it.'"

Time's running out. If you haven't already voted, please cast your NO vote now. Don't be apathetic. Don't wake up one morning and wonder what the hell happened to the disciplinary rules. This is our chance to make our voices heard.