Professionalism: Choosing the Path to a Quality Career
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Pages | 83 |
| Citation | Vol. 40 No. 6 Pg. 83 |
2011, June, Pg. 83. Professionalism: Choosing the Path to a Quality Career
June 2011
Vol. 40, No. 6 [Page 83]
CBA/DBA Professionalism Coordinating Council
Articles in this Department are sponsoredby the Professionalism Coordinating Council of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, and are scheduled to publish quarterly. The Coordinating Editor is Peter B. Goldstein, Gubbels Law Office, P.C., Castle Rock-(303) 688-1655, peter@gubbelslaw.com. Readers may contact him with topic ideas or to submit a manuscript for consideration.
About the Author
Teresa M. Wilkins, Englewood, is the sole member of the Law Firm of Teresa Wilkins, LLC , where she practices family and employment law. She is co-chair of the Peer Professionalism Assistance Group and a past president of the Douglas/Elbert Bar Association-(303) 414-4798, twilkinsllc@comcast.net.
Civility costs nothing, and buys everything.
-Mary Wortley Montagu,
English letter author and poet
"I will treat all persons whom I encounter through my practice of law with fairness, courtesy, respect and honesty... ." This phrase, repeated and promisedby all who are licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado, is contained in the Colorado Oath of Admission.(fn1) It is one of the core foundations of our practice, and yet, incivility among attorneys has become commonplace in our society.(fn2)
There are several reasons for the decline of professionalism in our profession: society's impression of how lawyers are supposed to act based on the media's portrayal of attorneys as aggressive and uncivil and a demand for this type behavior; an increase in the number of practicing attorneys and, hence, an increase in the competition for clients; and a change in the focus from practicing law to running a business.(fn3) Additionally, an increase in technology as a means to communicate-for example, through e-mail and text messages-has decreased the amount of face-to-face communication among attorneys, making the practice of law less personal and less formal.
This article discusses why attorneys may exhibit unprofessional behavior toward colleagues. It provides suggestions for dealing with the unprofessional attorney(fn4) and explains how legal professionals can use the Peer Professionalism Assistance (PPA) Group(fn5) to lessen incivility in the legal profession. Every practicing attorney should look for ways to improve how they relate to other attorneys, if for no other reason than to improve the quality of their own career.
Why Attorneys Practice Law With Incivility
All attorneys at one time or another may be tempted to behave in an unprofessional manner. The ability to act perfectly in every situation was not handed out with the license to practice law. With the right tools, however, every attorney can learn how to conduct themselves with utmost professionalism. One of these tools is the ability to recognize what triggers discourteous behavior in...
To continue reading
Request your trial