What is a Lawyer? A Reconstruction of the Lawyer as an Officer of the Court

This paper engages with the central question in legal ethics concerning the lawyer’s role, analyzing this fundamental question in terms of professional identity. Literature in this debate frames the lawyer either as a professional who exists entirely to serve her client (the “standard conception”), or as a professional whose primary duties are to the legal system. I reposit and examine the lawyer’s professional identity as an officer of the court—an identity marginalized by those who favor the standard conception—noting that “standard conception” was coined to draw attention to a supplanting threat to legal professionalism. Providing a uniquely detailed examination of U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence and of U.S. judicial system structure and function, this investigation yields strong and consistent evidence that the lawyer’s identity as an officer of the court is the actual, legal standard conception of the lawyer, as well as the defining basis of her identity—her sine qua non. Viewing the formation of the lawyer’s professional identity as an instance of the formation of an identity generally, in terms of its interpellation, socialization, and potential suspension or destruction, and examining the nature of that identity in terms of its performance, suggests that the lawyer’s role as court officer gives rise to, encompasses and circumscribes her role as a client advocate: a court creates a lawyer to exercise her independent professional judgment in translating between public and private realms, assisting in the formation of binding connections between the two in accordance with the rule of law. This observation reconciles a popular conception of the lawyer with her legal conception, usefully reframing an entrenched debate in legal ethics. This novel theoretical approach further suggests that the lawyer’s identity and professional actions can be understood as links in chains of softly dialectical synthetic acts that reify the private individual in publicly intelligible forms. Though this analysis may sound abstract, theorizing the lawyer’s professional identity is a practical endeavor that considers how procedural justice and the rule of law are effected in substantial part through the lawyer’s professional performance from day to day, and offers to lawyers and law students an understanding of the lawyer’s roles and functions in the administration of justice that affirms their sense of duty to the courts and helps them to protect themselves from subversion

Faculty Perceptions of Online Teaching Effectiveness and Indicators of Quality

Online education programs in nursing are increasing rapidly. Faculty need to be competent in their role and possess the skills necessary to positively impact student outcomes. Existing research offers effective teaching strategies for online education; however, there may be some disconnect in the application of these strategies and faculty perceptions of associated outcomes. Focus groups were formed to uncover how nursing faculty in an online program define and describe teaching effectiveness and quality indicators in an asynchronous online environment. A semistructured interview format guided group discussion. Participants (n=11) included nurse educators from an online university with an average of 15 years of experience teaching in nursing academia and 6 years in an online environment. Teaching effectiveness, indicators of quality, and student success were three categories that emerged from the analysis of data. What materialized from the analysis was an overarching concept of a “dance” that occurs in the online environment. Effective online teachers facilitate, connect, lead, and work in synchrony with students to obtain indicators of quality such as student success, student improvement over time, and student application of knowledge to the professional role

Crisis Management, COVID-19, and Libraries: Implications for LIS Education

LIS educators contribute a unique perspective in preparing an information workforce ready to meet the challenges associated with crises. This panel addresses issues related to emergency planning, effective communication, and crisis management along with the important connections to and implications for LIS Education. The panel begins with a presentation on public libraries’ coalition building and joint responses to crises. In this portion of the panel, Dr. Noah Lenstra discusses how public librarians are navigating this facet of their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, setting the stage for broader discussion on how partnerships and programming fit within library emergency planning, and how LIS education can help prepare future librarians for these tasks. Dr. Rachel Williams will address the results of a survey on public library responses to COVID-19. Her presentation examines how public libraries responded in the moment to an emerging pandemic and how the developing knowledge around crisis management and personal and organizational resilience are important skills for emerging public library professionals. Sharing her experiences as a public library Board of Trustees member, Dr. Laura Saunders’ talk expands on the conversation related to public libraries. Her presentation introduces issues related to academic libraries’ responses to crises and opportunities for course development in these areas. Drs. Lisa Hussey and Deborah Charbonneau wrap up the panel presentations through an examination of the current state of disaster management courses. Their discussion also outlines suggestions for incorporating emergency planning and crisis management into the LIS curriculum. To facilitate engagement on crisis management in LIS education, audience participants will be invited to share their experiences navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, as educators and advisors, and as colleagues of and collaborators with professionals

Living Under Coronavirus and Injecting Drugs in Bristol (LUCID-B): a qualitative study of experiences of COVID-19 among people who inject drugs

BACKGROUND: : People who inject drugs (PWID) are a high-risk group for COVID-19 transmission and serious health consequences. Restrictions imposed in the UK in response to the pandemic led to rapid health and housing service alterations. We aimed to examine PWID experiences of: 1) challenges relating to the COVID-19 public health measures; 2) changes to opioid substitution therapy (OST) and harm reduction services; and 3) perceived effects of COVID-19 on drug use patterns and risk behaviour. METHODS: : Telephone semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 PWID in Bristol, Southwest of England. Analysis followed a reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: : Concern about COVID-19 and adherence to public health guidance varied. Efforts made by services to continue providing support during the pandemic were appreciated and some changes were preferred, such as less frequent OST collection, relaxation of supervised consumption and needle and syringe programmes (NSP) home delivery. However, remote forms of contact were highlighted as less beneficial and more difficult to engage with than in-person contact. Public health guidance advising people to ‘stay home’ led to increased isolation, boredom, and time to ruminate which impacted negatively on mental health. Lockdown restrictions directly impacted on sources of income and routine. Changes in drug use were explained as a consequence of isolation and fewer interactions with peers, problems accessing drugs, reduced drug purity and reduced financial resources. CONCLUSION: : This study captures the significant impacts and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of PWID. While rapid adaptations to service delivery to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 were appreciated and some changes such as relaxation of supervised daily OST consumption were viewed positively, barriers to access need further attention. Going forwards there may be opportunities to harness the positive aspects of some changes to services

TB incidence in an adolescent cohort in South Africa

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem globally. Little is known about TB incidence in adolescents who are a proposed target group for new TB vaccines. We conducted a study to determine the TB incidence rates and risk factors for TB disease in a cohort of school-going adolescents in a high TB burden area in South Africa. METHODS: We recruited adolescents aged 12 to 18 years from high schools in Worcester, South Africa. Demographic and clinical information was collected, a tuberculin skin test (TST) performed and blood drawn for a QuantiFERON TB Gold assay at baseline. Screening for TB cases occurred at follow up visits and by surveillance of registers at public sector TB clinics over a period of up to 3.8 years after enrolment. RESULTS: A total of 6,363 adolescents were enrolled (58% of the school population targeted). During follow up, 67 cases of bacteriologically confirmed TB were detected giving an overall incidence rate of 0.45 per 100 person years (95% confidence interval 0.29-0.72). Black or mixed race, maternal education of primary school or less or unknown, a positive baseline QuantiFERON assay and a positive baseline TST were significant predictors of TB disease on adjusted analysis. CONCLUSION: The adolescent TB incidence found in a high burden setting will help TB vaccine developers plan clinical trials in this population. Latent TB infection and low socio-economic status were predictors of TB disease

Developmental transitions in presentations of externalizing problems among boys and girls at risk for child maltreatment

The present study examined the impact of children’s maltreatment experiences on the emergence of externalizing problem presentations among children during different developmental periods. The sample included 788 youth and their caregivers who participated in a multisite, prospective study of youth at-risk for maltreatment. Externalizing problems were assessed at ages 4, 8, and 12, and symptoms and diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder were assessed at age 14, during interviews with youth and caregivers. Information about maltreatment allegations was coded from official records. Latent transition analysis identified three groups of youth with similar presentations of externalizing problems (“well adjusted,” “hyperactive/oppositional,” and “aggressive/rule-breaking”) and transitions between groups from ages 4, 8, and 12. A “defiant/deceitful” group also emerged at age 12. Girls were generally more likely to present as well adjusted than boys. Children with recent physical abuse allegations had an increased risk for aggressive/rule-breaking presentations during the preschool and preadolescent years, while children with sexual abuse or neglect allegations had lower probabilities of having well-adjusted presentations during middle childhood. These findings indicate that persistently severe aggressive conduct problems, which are related to the most concerning outcomes, can be identified early, particularly among neglected and physically and sexually abused children