Decency in the legal profession – the phrase may cause lawyers and the general public to emit a collective guffaw. Yet we can, and indeed we should, strive for decency as it is sorely lacking in so many areas of daily life. How to do it in the midst of global turmoil and a profession that, by its nature, is contentious and adversarial, is a question many have asked for some time. Perhaps that once we overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and get some time to reflect on life we will have a new perspective on what is important in life, and how the numerous examples of civility and decency shown in the darkest moments may provide a pathway and a new perspective for the future. With vaccine distribution looming in the coming weeks, business will retain to the workplace. This may be a great way to get us back on track, as working from home has been found to cause more stress.Hopefully the New Normal in the workplace will have a heavy dose of decency with it given all we’ve been through.
“There is a fever in America today. This fever is running at a very high pitch, and it has nothing to do with the pandemic. It is a fever of indecency, and it has infected our institutions, our people and our social discourse. It is changing relationships and stifling progress. It is keeping us from being the best we can be. And it’s infecting the legal profession. The clinical manifestations of this fever include name-calling, derision, intimidation, bullying, the distortion of truth, an unwillingness to compromise, a lack of caring and a reluctance to serve others. The legal profession is complicit in the spread of this fever and its underlying infection. That is undeniable to anyone familiar with current legal practices. And the questions are: How did it happen, and what will we do about it?”
Read: The power of decency in the legal profession at ABA Journal – Daily News