Bob Oster, president of the Rhode Island Bar Association, takes it upon himself to dispel some of the common misconceptions about the people in his profession. “There’s that perception that lawyers are a necessary evil,” he said. “The reality is that they are hard-working, family-driven, good people. We’re here to help people.”
While he’s at it, Oster hopes to erase another myth during his one-year tenure as president:
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“The average lawyer doesn’t make a lot of money here in Rhode Island. You’re usually making anywhere from $45,000 to $50,000, 10 years out of school. If you’re out there to make money, you’re not going to have a very successful career. There’s a spiritual side.”
But Oster’s claim seems in contradiction to what some hiring partners suggest is a starting salary for lawyers in Rhode Island from $60,000 to $70,000. In Boston, starting salaries are reported to be twice what they are in Rhode Island.
Representing Rhode Island’s smaller firms in the association is a priority for Oster, who has shared a general practice in Lincoln with his brother Jonathan for 21 years.
“For a long time it was perceived that the Rhode Island Bar was about large firms,” he said.
What the Rhode Island Bar Association is about is assisting practicing lawyers in their profession and helping members of the public find the legal information and services they need.
The Rhode Island Bar Association is run by its panel of executive officers, board of directors and house of delegates. All are volunteer positions. The volunteers (along with the 5,000 association members from throughout the state) are the decision-making body of the organization. The day-to-day operations of the association are carried out by its permanent 15 member staff, headed by Executive Director Helen McDonald.
“We are the organization that brings everybody together, attorneys from different areas of the state, different specialties,” said McDonald. “We can help the public who needs legal help and help lawyers do what they need to do.”
The association’s many functions include continuing education for its members, and public service in the form of informational brochures on legal topics and a lawyer referral service. Its Mentor/Mentee program offers guidance to new attorneys by pairing them with more experienced ones.
“It’s everything from telling them how to get to the courthouse to how to work with a client,” Oster said.
Lawyers in Rhode Island are required to attend 10 hours of continuing legal education programming each year, two of which must be in ethics and professionalism. The association offers members 70 educational programs each year in addition to its annual meeting, which has 35 educational sessions.
The Volunteer Lawyers program offers pro bono assistance for income eligible clients who cannot obtain legal representation either on their own or through other existing agencies.
“Community involvement is so important,” Oster said. “We have a list of about 1,000 attorneys willing to provide services for free or for a low fee. It’s something we can do as a profession that counteracts all the negative publicity. Sometimes reality is perception.”
McDonald said that one of the primary objectives of the association is to educate Rhode Islanders about the law. The Speakers Bureau is a free public service of the association, which provides attorneys from all areas of the state to speak, and frequently works with schools and other legal organizations.
“We want to make sure the information gets out to the public,” said McDonald.
