Known as the “Father of Management,” author, educator and visionary Peter Drucker revolutionized the way corporations manage their business. He taught and consulted for more than 70 years. One of his insights is particularly meaningful this time of year.
“Follow effective action with quiet reflection,” he once said. “From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”
Maybe 2024 was your best year yet. Maybe it wasn’t. Whether you’re looking hopefully to 2025, the holiday season is the perfect time to take stock of where we are, what we’ve accomplished, and ways in which we might expand our horizons in the new year. Let’s also take a moment to celebrate and remind ourselves of our role in society and our responsibilities to the public and our profession.
There is no greater reminder of these responsibilities than the Texas Lawyer’s Creed, which turned 35 years old on November 7. Whether you lived through or have heard the stories, there’s little debate that we as a profession needed to refocus. Federal District Judge Norman Black lamented at the time how he had observed lawyers behave in recent trials
“If the profession itself does not ease this crisis, the public is going to do it for us,” he wrote in 1989. Fortunately, the profession did take the steps to self-correct, and our bar was lauded nationally for being the first to formally adopt a creed aimed at ending “Rambo” litigation and similar behavior.
The Texas Lawyer’s Creed is a commitment to ethical practice. It reminds us that while we advocate for our clients’ interests, we must ensure that we conduct ourselves in a way that respects the legal system as a whole. Honesty and transparency are essential in all our dealings as our collective commitment to integrity fosters trust, not only between lawyer and client but also between lawyer and lawyer, and lawyer and public. When we violate this trust, it reflects negatively on both us as lawyers and the legal profession as a whole.
The creed is, of course, aspirational. But aspirational standards become reality if we as lawyers give them value. We can start doing this by following the creed ourselves. We can encourage our peers to follow it, and we can mentor those who follow so that they too learn the “right way” to practice law.
Let’s review the creed’s mandates. The preamble reminds us: “I am a lawyer. I am entrusted by the People of Texas to preserve and improve our legal system.” It commands that “my word is my bond.” And it challenges us to be “committed to this creed for no other reason than it is right.
As lawyers, we are asked to “disagree without being disagreeable,” avoid “antagonistic or obnoxious behavior,” and “neither encourage nor knowingly permit” those around us to behave unethically. For those we mentor, swift and consistent conduct and words that “we don’t practice like that” will stay with them throughout their careers. Each day provides each of us another opportunity to make a positive impact.
This holiday season, we have multiple opportunities to become better together. You can join us at LegalLine on December 5 (last one of the year!); the Women Attorneys Section Sip & Shop on December 6; TCBA’s Annual Holiday Party on December 12; and the Appellate Law Brown Bag Seminar on January 10. Whether you volunteer, receive benefits from the TCBA, or both, the TCBA is here for you, hosting many events to help you and our profession grow in positive ways.
A lot has changed since 1989, but our obligation to our profession and to the public has not. The Tarrant County Bar Association is here to serve its members and our profession, helping to foster the collegial, ethical standards the creed and its authors envisioned.
We are all fortunate to work in a profession that serves society and is bigger than each of us as individuals. Together, let’s reflect on the year we’ve had and dream up ways to be even more effective in 2025.
– Scott Lindsey
TCBA President
