DAVID N. BAZAR, a senior partner for East Providence-based firm Bazar & Associates, was recently named president of the Rhode Island Bar Association. Bazar will serve a one-year term, succeeding Carolyn R. Barone. Bazar participates in the association’s Volunteer Lawyer Program, Lawyers for the Elderly and the U.S. Armed Forces Legal Service Project. He previously received the association’s 1987 Pro Bono Publico Award and the 1998 Continuing Service Award.
What motivated you to become involved with the bar association? As a new lawyer, I was able to take advantage of many of the programs the bar association offers to help lawyers build and improve their practice. I once was asked to film a segment about the Rhode Island Bar Association on the “Truman Taylor” Sunday morning program. I then became the chair of the Public Relations Committee, which now no longer exists. As part of that committee, we put together a number of public-service initiatives, including filming a show for the budding cable TV interconnect on juvenile justice and the “Ask-a Lawyer” program that now airs in conjunction with WJAR-TV NBC 10. I was all in and continued to serve the bar association in any way I could help.
Describe your work with the U.S. Armed Forces Legal Services Project. My work for this program has primarily been pro bono work on Family Court matters. I have a special appreciation for this program, as my father was a veteran of the Korean War. Additionally, all four of his brothers were veterans of World War II with service in the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines. My uncle who served in the Marines was wounded in the Bougainville Campaign. After Eleanor Roosevelt visited him in the hospital, he was asked: “How does it feel to have the president’s wife visit you?” His reply was, “I would have rather that it be my own wife who visited.”
Why do you feel bar associations are critical to society, not just within Rhode Island? Bar associations are critical to society because what we do as lawyers promotes the public good. As I recently wrote in the Rhode Island Bar Journal: “The law is the barrier that stands between democracy and anarchy. Faith in our laws and our courts is the basis for commercial transactions, keeping people free from governmental interference and providing an avenue to resolve differences through a peaceful, logical process.
“I recently heard a fable that former Attorney General Robert Jackson told to emphasize the role of lawyers in preserving liberty. It is about three stonecutters asked to describe their work. The first stonecutter focuses on how the job benefits him. He says, ‘I am earning a living.’ The second narrowly describes his personal role: ‘I am cutting stone.’ The third man exhibits a different perspective. His face lights up as he explains what the work means to others: ‘I am helping to build a cathedral.’ As lawyers, we help to preserve the foundation on which our society is built.”
What plans do you have for the bar association as president? First, I want to continue the good work that has already been set in motion by those that came before me. I would like to use my term as president to encourage new attorneys to become active in the bar. They will find this most rewarding. I also look forward to helping the bar association prepare for the 100th anniversary of the admission of the first woman to the Rhode Island bar, in 2020.
