“Professionalism can’t be e-mailed”

The Boston Globe, among others, commented about a very nasty exchange between two lawyers that wound up being very public. I was not going to comment on this exchange between these two lawyers because the lack of civility among lawyers seems to be all too common in today’s world.

But, Reid Trautz did comment on 2/16/06 and I particularly appreciate his observation, which bears further repeating:

“At the heart, this is a lesson in professionalism for all lawyers: Be a professional at all times; be courteous and civil to other lawyers, clients, and the public. However, it is a lesson for everyone in the power of the Internet. Be careful what you put in an email message. If Ms. Abdala transmitted the same message via letter, fax or voice mail, it would have revealed a similar message about her professionalism, but would not have been so easily forwarded to thousands of lawyers around the world. Email is a convenient and powerful tool, but it can also come back and bite you on the career!”

Categorized in: Personal Thoughts