Professionalism.

With the death and devastation in our own country and around the world, I must reflect on our responsibility as lawyers to resolve conflict with professionalism and civility.

We have so little control over much that is going on around us: the hatred, the violence, and the sadness. But, there's something we can control: ourselves. As the world seems to deteriorate around us, we as lawyers are in a unique position to be examples and guides to the community on ways to respectfully navigate adversarial situations. This may not seem like enough, but with over 100,000 lawyers in Florida--each touching the lives of clients, businesses, and families--our actions undoubtedly make a difference.

It is the very nature of our work that we are opponents--we are always fighting over something--sometimes property and sometimes innocence. How do we fight? How do we adamantly disagree, but still move forward and come to a resolution without destruction? Our oath requires that we do so with professionalism. There are so many articles about professionalism. What does it really mean to be professional?

I tritely return to the Golden Rule--"do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Could it really be that simple? I believe it is. I reviewed the "Professionalism Expectations" drafted by The Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism and adopted by The Florida Board of Bar Examiners in 2015. Each and every expectation comes back to the Golden Rule. The "unto others" includes our clients, colleagues, opposing counsel, judges, support staff, clerks, judicial assistants, witnesses, pro se litigants, the indigent, and all with whom we interact. We must have morality in our practices. There are wonderful examples of lawyers who exemplified professionalism, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln or the fictional character of Atticus Finch. But our sights do not have to be so lofty. You and I can start smaller and make changes.

For example, I want others to be honest with me, so I must be honest with them. I do not want the other side to engage in dilatory or delay tactics, so I must not use...