Westlake Yacht Club
32119 Lindero Canyon Rd
Westlake Village, CA 91361
Description
Tavern Debate
co-sponsored by the Institute for Justice and the Los Angeles Lawyers Chapter
If you’re coming to the Federalist Society’s Western Chapters Conference, then arrive a night early for this fun-filled and stimulating (in more ways than one) night of intellectual debate, witty repartee, and constitutional merriment.
For the second year in a row, and once again in the tradition of the Chicago Lawyers Chapter’s long-beloved Tavern Debates, the Federalist Society and the Institute for Justice’s Center for Judicial Engagement invite you to this Oxford-style contest. Arif Panju of the Institute for Justice will serve as your host.
All conference attendees are welcome to join us on Friday, January 26, at 7:00 p.m. at the Westlake Yacht Club, a 15 minute drive from where the conference will take place the next day, for an extemporaneous debate where everyone can speak their mind on the following:
Resolved: The First Amendment says the state should keep out of my lawyering!
Pro: The First Amendment protects the “freedom of speech.” And what do we lawyers do, but speak? We speak all day, to clients, each other, and to judges. All that “speech” is just as constitutionally protected as any other. The Supreme Court has already said the First Amendment protects protest signs, newspaper articles, and even (for crying out loud) certain kinds of dancing. Including when the speech is central to someone’s occupation. If it protects all that speech, why shouldn’t it protect what us lawyers have to say? The same rules should apply to all.
Con: Being a lawyer is a noble calling and one that can bring powerful change. But with great power comes great responsibility. Applying the full force of the First Amendment to lawyers would endanger all kinds of reasonable restrictions on what lawyers do, eviscerating licensing laws, bar exams, schooling requirements, and even fiduciary responsibilities. Chaos would ensure and charlatans would enter to prey upon unsophisticated clients without legal protections in place we have all come to rely on. Legal speech is different than other forms of speech and must be treated so.
Which view is right, “pro” or “con”? Come make your voice heard! The evening will begin with opening statements by a couple esteemed thinkers for and against the Resolution. After that, everyone will have a chance to hold their drink and stand to make their opinion known. At the debate’s conclusion we will take a vote and the question will be settled for all time (for now).
The Westlake Yacht Club is located on the way from Los Angeles to Simi Valley, just 15 minutes from the Courtyard Ventura Hotel in Simi. Conference registration includes entry into the event; food and drink provided.
