Lawyers: Hope for Bilked Clients

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When New York's Governor Rockefeller wanted to lift state revenue in 1963 while appearing to honor his pledge not to raise taxes, he tried a package of new or increased fees for the registration of everything from autos to hairdressers. Included, despite strong bar-association protests, was a one-shot $15 fee for every practicing lawyer. On reflection, the New York City Bar Association has decided that this registration fee might be a good idea after all. Last week the association proposed to the state legislature that a similar charge be levied every two years—the money to be used to publish a state directory of lawyers, to finance investigations when charges of professional misconduct are brought against lawyers—and to build up a fund that would compensate bilked clients when professional misconduct includes misuse of funds. For if a lawyer has dissipated a client's cash, the money may be gone for good—whether or not the culprit is eventually punished by the courts.