A New Approach to Preventing Unprofessional Behavior

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A New Approach to Preventing Unprofessional
Behavior
John T. Berry Legal Division Director The Florida
bar
International Conference on the Future of Legal
Education
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The Legal Profession has problems!

• Lowest Job Satisfaction of the professions.
• 18 of lawyers with 2 20 years work experience
  abuse Alcohol.
• Florida lawyers survey -------42 lack of
  professionalism is the most serious problem
  facing the profession.
• Poor reputation for honesty of lawyers held by
  the Citizens.

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Depression in students and lawyers compared to
the public
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National Action Plan on Lawyer Conduct
Professionalism--Implementation Plan

• significant decline in professionalism in the
  Bar, and a consequent drop in the publics
  confidence in the profession and the justice
  system generally

International Conference on the Future of Legal
Education
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• " We have lost sight of our goal, but redoubled
  our efforts" --Tony Boggs

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Degree of Influence

• The significant presence of principled people
  and shared standards all have the power to
  reshape a persons character.

Arthur J. Schwartz, Its not Too Late to Teach
College Students About Values, Chron. Higher
Education, June 9, 2000 at A68
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New Approach Defined

• Stop reliance upon solely
• aspirational /education model.
• Model and enforce desirable behavior.
• Inculcate individual professional moral
  identity.
• Foster positive environment/culture.
• Clearly define the cause of problem behavior.
• Develop innovative/direct accountability for
  behavior.
• Measure the outcomes and evaluate results.

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OOPS! Without the right guidance system Lawyers
might be dangerous.!
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Neil Hamilton Professionalism Clearly Defined

• The Public must trust that the profession will
  renew the social contract in each generation of
  the profession by socializing each new entrant
  into the elements of an ethical professional
  identity.

International Conference on the Future of Legal
Education