Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall 2020 - 9

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obvious examples of ineffective and counterproductive advocacy."
In an effort to return the profession to what it should be,
the Pennsylvania Bar Association recently established the
Committee on Civility in the Profession. Its mission statement
is "... to instill, promote and enhance professionalism and civility
within the legal profession by encouraging discussion about the
importance of professionalism and civility among the members
of the bar, the judiciary and the public."
Returning to Stephen L. Carter's Civility, he describes civility
as a series of rules constituting the etiquette of democracy. He
argues, civility is not dependent on whether we like each other.
Civility assumes we will disagree, but requires us to attempt to
resolve our differences respectfully. Civility requires us to listen
to others with knowledge of the possibility that they are right
and we are wrong. Civility requires us to express ourselves in
ways that demonstrate our respect for others. Civility allows
criticism of others, and sometimes even requires it, but the
criticism should always be presented with respect and courtesy.
Civility values diversity, disagreement, and the possibility of
polite and firm resistance.
George Orwell discussed thoughts on freedom of speech
offered a way to think about civility. In 1945, addressing the
subject of freedom of speech, Orwell said, "If large numbers of
people are interested in freedom of speech, there will be freedom
of speech...; if public opinion [on freedom of speech] is sluggish,
inconvenient minorities will be persecuted, even if laws exist
to protect them." Similarly, if a large number of attorneys and
judges are committed to civility, there will be civility. On the
other hand, if we are sluggish and fail to demand and insist upon
civility from all people in the legal system, including litigants,
attorneys, and judges, those who are committed to civility will
suffer at the hands of those who are not.
It is a sad commentary on the current state of our legal
system that a Chief Justice of the United States Supreme
Court felt compelled to repeatedly speak about civility, and a
law professor wrote a book on the subject. It is regrettable that
a Code of Civility has even needed to be promulgated and
the Pennsylvania Bar Association felt the need to establish a
committee on civility. The American legal system is, and must be,
more than the words written in books of statutes and rules. There
must be an honest and open commitment to doing what is right,
moral, and just. And civil.
Mr. Gavin is an attorney with the Wyomissing firm
Masano-Bradley.

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Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall 2020

Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall 2020 - 1
Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall 2020 - 2
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