What Childhood Cartoons Taught Me About Lawyer Professionalism
From the first day of law school, we are taught the importance of professionalism and ethics in the law. It is vital that as lawyers, we uphold the highest degree of professionalism. Each week in Mass Lawyers Weekly we read about lawyers who are reprimanded, suspended or disbarred for ethical violations. The Rules of Professional Conduct are clearly posted on the Board of Bar Overseers web site , yet sometimes we forget or do not understand some of the key points. It might help to remember some of these points if we think back to our childhood cartoons, which knowingly or unknowingly taught future lawyers some valuable lessons. Having grown up watching cartoons in the 1960’s and 1970’s, here is a list of some of the lessons I first learned as a child, well before my first law school Professional Responsibility class:
- Sam and Ralph, the sheepdog guarding the sheep and the fox trying to get the sheep, taught me that it’s fine to be competitive and try to win, but you also need to be respectful of your opposition. Take a look at this cartoon. It is very entertaining to see the dog and the fox sharing breakfast and being courteous with each other, enjoying each other’s company, but as soon as the whistle blows, they go at it with everything they have. At the end of the day, they stop their bickering and wish each other well. The Rules of Professional Conduct confirm this. Rule 1.3 states “The lawyer should represent a client zealously within the bounds of the law.” Yet the Preamble to the Rules states, “A lawyer should demonstrate respect for the legal system and for those who serve it, including judges, other lawyers, and public officials.”
- On the other hand, Bugs Bunny taught that you can give someone the benefit of the doubt to begin with, but as a zealous advocate you can’t let yourself or your client be taken advantage of. If that happens, then as he said, “Of course you know, this means war.“
- Daffy Duck taught me not to be greedy, and not to take things that aren’t mine. Rule 1.15(c) confirms the obvious: “Upon receiving trust funds or other trust property in which a client or third person has an interest, a lawyer shall promptly notify the client or third person… [A] lawyer shall promptly deliver to the client or third person any funds or other property that the client or third person is entitled to receive.” If you try to take property which is not yours, your stature as an attorney will shrink to nothing, just like Daffy Duck yelling “Mine mine mine”: Click here, and then fast forward to about the 5:45 minute mark.
I wish they had just shown cartoons in Professional Responsibility class.