A PROFILE IN PROFESSIONALISM

The Hon. Vanessa Velasquez Judge, 183rd District Court

"I Vanessa Velasquez, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Texas; that I will honestly demean myself in the practice of law; and that I will discharge my duty to my clients to the best of my ability. So help me, God.”

Remember this oath? This is the oath that we all take as new attorneys. There are times that I think it wouldn’t hurt for a few of us to re-examine what this oath means.

To me this oath is about integrity and character. Integrity is the foundation of our profession as lawyers: to keep our word, be honest with our clients and each other as lawyers, and be candid with the court. We should treat our clients and each other the way we would expect to be treated.

All too often, it’s been my observation over the past 20 years that some attorneys get caught up in themselves, their problems, and other issues, thereby ignoring their clients
and the oath they swore to uphold. This unfortunately has
resulted in attorneys being disciplined, disbarred, and worse—prosecuted and imprisoned.

I think we all occasionally need to take a deep breath and re-affirm the oath we took as new lawyers, remembering the excitement and pride we felt in our hearts as we repeated each word, remembering what that oath first meant to us, and remembering just exactly what we promised
to do.