Our Message In Defense of This Country’s Representative Democracy

We also must acknowledge the emotional toll these events – and the past year – have taken. We have heard from a number of people across the firm who are exhausted by the stress of the pandemic, social injustice and violence, the election, and the distressing scenes in Washington. We share this feeling, which is made worse because we cannot lean on each other in person. As a national firm with a large DC office, many of our colleagues and friends have had to experience this shock while it is happening in their city.

The chaos and violence that we all witnessed on January 6th marked one of the darkest days in our country’s history. This was not just an attack on our seat of Government. It was an assault on the democratic values that define our country and have made it the world’s beacon of democracy.

In less than two weeks, President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as president. But there is much work to be done. Recent events are an ugly reminder that our values and institutions rely on elected officials, policy experts, bureaucrats, and everyday Americans to uphold our democratic norms. It is incumbent on all of us – especially as lawyers – to ensure that this country lives up to its values and remains a model for representative democracy.