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To me, the essence
of professionalism is a commitment to develop one’s skills to the
fullest and to apply [them] responsibly to the problems at hand.
Professionalism requires adherence to the highest ethical standards of
conduct and a willingness to subordinate narrow self-interest in pursuit
of the more fundamental goal of public service. Because of the
tremendous power they wield in our system, lawyers must never forget
that their duty to serve their clients fairly and skillfully takes
priority over the personal accumulation of wealth. At the same time,
lawyers must temper bold advocacy for their clients with a sense of
responsibility to the larger legal system which strives, however
imperfectly, to provide justice for all.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor
Committee on Attorney Professionalism
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