A PROFILE IN PROFESSIONALISM

The Honorable George C. Hanks, Jr. Justice, First Court of Appeals

Why should we, as members of the bar, strive to maintain the highest ethical and moral standards, in not only our practices but in every aspect of our lives? The answer to this question can be found in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he considered whether to march on Selma, Alabama in 1965 at the potential cost of his life and the lives of his followers. In making the decision to proceed with the march, the Rev. King said, “We cannot teach what we ourselves do not know and we cannot lead others where we ourselves have not been.”

When we take the oath to become members of the bar, like the Rev. King, we make a decision to become part of something far larger than ourselves. We accept the sacred trust of our fellow citizens to protect the integrity of our legal justice system, the very cornerstone of our democracy. We accept the burden of having others place in our care the things that matter the most to them – their lives, their families, and their livelihoods – and we pledge to help them resolve the problems in their lives that they may be powerless to resolve on their own. When we take that oath, we accept the awesome responsibility of being a leader in our society.

As lawyers and leaders in our communities, the morals and values that we display in our practices will become the morals and values of society around us.

If we, as lawyers, care—society will care.

If we, as lawyers, act—society will act.

If in your practice you treat your fellow members of the bar, our courts, the litigants and our legal justice system with disdain and contempt—society will do the same.

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