I have been practicing law for almost three decades. I hold myself up to the highest standard of ethics and professionalism. I am honored to serve as an attorney, and respect all the sacrifice and hard work it took to get here. My least favorite part of the legal practice is dealing with unprofessional, uncivil attorneys. I enjoy the intellectual discussions that a litigation practice can prompt, and welcome the opportunity to argue a legal point. Nevertheless, we lawyers should be above the personal, subjective and emotional issues facing our clients. That is the best way to insure the advice we are giving is sound and in the best interest of our clients. Often, people have said to me that they want bulldogs to fight on their behalf. Don’t get me wrong, I will always conduct myself in a way that achieves the best result my client is legally entitled to. I just prefer to use brains over brawn. Here’s a link to a post from the American Bar Association addressing civility as the core of professionalism.