SERVANT AND TEACHER: JOSEPH, THE GREAT

St. John's Law Review, Summer 2004 by Castel, P Kevin

As if all of this were not enough, Judge Bellacosa continued as a leader in the field of legal education. From 1994 to 1995, he served as Chair of the 6,500-member section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar (the "section"), the accrediting arm of the American Bar Association ("ABA"). The section has been in continued existence since 1893 and traces its roots to the founding of the ABA. Legal giants such as Roscoe Pound, Elihu Root, and Samuel Williston have held the position of Chair of this Section.9

Ever the teacher, Judge Bellacosa has reminded us of our professional obligation to provide legal assistance to those among us who are in need. He chided some of the positions expressed in the on-going debate over mandatory pro bono as obsessing over formalisms. Instead, he chose to appeal to the best in all of us:

If we were able to search our psyches for our earliest murmurings of the primary motivation for becoming lawyers, we would probably discover that it was service to others in need. So lawyers should revisit those root stirrings, and be grateful for the opportunity and corresponding obligation to bring them to fruition.10

Eight years later, he expressed his feelings about his own "adventure" in public service in similar terms:

No one could ask for-or be entitled to-more than these privileged perches and participatory professional adventures that have been given to me: 25 years of public work providing me with sparkling enlightenment and professional fulfillment.11

By all accounts, Joe and Mary Bellacosa and their family enjoyed a wonderful life during his public service in Albany. He did not seek the deanship of our Law School and, indeed, early efforts to entice him to leave the bench to assume this leadership role were not successful. Eventually, and through the entreaties of his fellow University Trustees, he answered this special call to service. Under his guiding hand, we have soared. Applications, GPAs and LSAT scores of admittees, bar passage rates, U.S. News & World Report rankings, alumni participation, and contributions are all up. The dream of first-rate clinical programs is coming to fruition. he would be the first to remind us that these successes are not his exclusive doing, but he has set us on the right trajectory.

Dean Bellacosa once quoted from a private letter from Holmes to Cardozo: "[D]efining the measure of success [is] not the place, the power, the prominence or the prestige one attains, but rather the trembling hope of striving for one's ideals day-by-day."12 I submit that we have within our midst a man who is both successful and great. he has never wavered in his commitment to the service of others and to the highest virtues and aspirations of our profession. he is never cynical and always the gentle but firm teacher.

Because he is humble and draws attention away from himself and directs it towards others, it is easy to lose sight of those facts. Ask yourself: Had I been a colleague of Chief judge Cardozo, would I have made the most of my precious time with him or would I have squandered it complaining of my docket congestion and my courtroom conditions? Would I recount for my grandchildren what I learned from Cardozo, or would I tell them of my own eloquence in laying at his feet my special needs? For our own sakes, we should savor our association with Joseph, The Great, and learn from his example.13