A PROFILE IN PROFESSIONALISM

JUSTICE KEM THOMPSON FROST Fourteenth Court of Appeals

Whether in the courtroom, at the negotiation table, or working through other challenges in our professional lives, as lawyers and judges we stand on a grand stage in a big arena. We are individually empowered to show by noble deeds, great and small, that we are members of an honorable profession.

When we joined the bar, we made a commitment that surpasses a vow of personal integrity and calls us to uphold a sacred honor. Just as what we think and do define us as individuals, our words and actions as lawyers and judges define the character of our profession. Our character as individuals is measured by what we do when no one is watching; the same standard governs our words and actions as members of the bar. Good or bad, the behavior we model in our professional lives is the behavior by which our entire profession is judged—a weighty responsibility, yes, but also an extraordinary opportunity.

As members of the bar, we are empowered not only to practice in a way that justifies the honor, but also to preserve this rich tradition through modeling and mentoring. Telling the next generation of lawyers what to do and how to act is not enough. We must come alongside them and let them see by good example the way to practice law honorably. The greatest legacy we, as members of the legal profession, can leave our communities is a bar whose members understand that how lawyers practice is just as important as what they accomplish.