A PROFILE IN PROFESSIONALISM

Pride and Professionalism

As a State District Judge and as a Naval Reservist serving as a United States Military Judge, I proudly serve in a profession of leaders of the highest caliber.

The Hon. John T. Wooldridge, Judge, 269th District Court

In 1964 Admiral Arleigh A. Burke wrote: “We need men and women who by their personal integrity, their sense of moral purpose and their acceptance of the requirement for hard work will exemplify the best in the leadership traditions of the Navy and of our country.”

The same can be said today of the professional men and women that serve in our chosen legal profession. Professionalism is about the fundamental values of personal integrity, moral purpose and acceptance of hard work for our clients. This sense of duty and responsibility sets our profession apart from other professions. This sense of duty to our profession makes us leaders in the community.

People often ask me what has been my biggest surprise in taking the bench. Without question, I have been impressed with the quality of good lawyering and the excellence in professionalism demonstrated in the courtroom. And, I am proud to say, the jurors report the same sentiment after experiencing our profession at work.

President Ronald Reagan once said: “Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Ma-rines don’t have that problem.”

As attorneys, we too can say at the end of the day, that as a profession we have made a difference in the world. The report on professionalism as observed from this bench is excellent. The mandate of professionalism established by the Houston Bar Association is alive and well in the 269th District Court and is practiced with pride and competence by the many attorneys that zealously represent their clients in court.

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