The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association held its monthly luncheon Tuesday at the Radisson. The meeting included a seminar on professionalism in the courtroom by Circuit Court Judge Aaron Bowden, who recounted his experiences with ethical and unethical attorneys during his 13 years on the bench. He also gave advice on proper trial decorum.
“Professionalism is a state of mind,” said Bowden. “You have to go beyond the canons of legal standards. It’s not enough to just obey the rules. The important thing is that no substantive harm comes from what we are doing.”
As far as fully engaging a judge’s attention during oral arguments, Bowden said attorneys should get to know the judge and his personality before the trial. Also, he recommended asking the judge to critique the performance after trial and taking advantage of ex parte hours to seek guidance in legal matters.
“Your most precious asset is your reputation,” he stressed. “It’s getting much more difficult to [remain highly ethical] because there’s more people in the bar competing for dollars. It’s an economic reality. You have to recognize that and try to deal with it. We can’t always insist on total compliance because that’s not pragmatic.”
He hastened to add that his perspective on lawyers was not negative despite the “marginal ones” in the community.
The JWLA’s holiday party is scheduled for Dec. 17 at Bistro Aix from 5-7 p.m. with proceeds benefiting the I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless.