Civility oath.

I am delighted that the Oath of Admission to be an attorney licensed in Florida now includes a pledge of civility. It is, of course, sad that such a pledge is now required, that for whatever reason there has been a marked decline in civility within our profession as well as with society at large.

Such a pledge should be made mandatory even for licensed attorneys in Florida and for newly licensed attorneys across the country. Indeed, it is a pledge which everyone in our country should take.

Civility or manners or etiquette, you choose the name, is the very grease which makes the machinery of human relations run smoothly. "Please" opens more doors than an order barked at someone. "Thank you" shows gratitude for favors, which may then be more likely to be repeated.

Perhaps the decline in civility in our profession is due to the practice of law becoming more a business than a profession. That the bottom line becomes the primary consideration. That the increasingly tense competition for legal work causes action which is not so benign. That electronic...