One of the most important responsibilities of all lawyers and judges is to protect and promote the integrity and respectability of the legal profession. Accordingly, we must always be mindful of conduct that undermines the legal process and the administration of justice.
Incivility impugns the integrity of each of us individually and of the profession collectively. Therefore, the Massachusetts Bar Association, in partnership with the judiciary, has undertaken the responsibility of promoting civility and professionalism within the practice of law.
We have created a set of principles and guidelines to guide us in our daily professional conduct. It is our hope that these guidelines will remind practitioners and judges of the respect that our profession demands of one another, and will ensure that we conduct ourselves at all times with the utmost personal courtesy and professionalism. Our hope is also to ensure that the public has confidence in the legal profession and to ensure that the honorability of our noble profession remains strong. In collaboration with the Bristol County Bar Association, the MBA Committee on Civility and Professionalism invites you to attend this important forum and join in a discussion, with your colleagues and members of the judiciary from all trial court departments, with the hope that all lawyers and judges will make a commitment to adhere to the guidelines.