Won’t You Be My Civil Neighbor?
By George Brewster Jr.
Civility. In the practice of law, we know — we SHOULD know — what that means. What it entails, and the consequences for any uncivil behavior.
But do we behave civilly in real life?
Should we apply our rules of professional conduct to our private associations/encounters?
The San Diego County Bar Association has an Attorney Code of Conduct. Just altering the words a bit (say, duties owed to your neighbor rather than to the court, etc.), here are some rules of conduct that might be useful for our personal contacts and maybe even impersonal (i.e. social media) discussions:
Neighbors should always be courteous and respectful to each other.
Neighbors should always be candid with each other.
Neighbors should attempt to resolve, by agreement, their differences relating to neighborhood matters.
Treat neighbors who hold adverse opinions with common courtesy, good attitude, good manners, fairness and due consideration.
When asking a neighbor about an issue, proceed as though a judicial officer were present.
Neighbors should not arbitrarily or unreasonably withhold consent to a just and reasonable request for cooperation or accommodation.
Do not attribute to a neighbor a position not clearly taken by that neighbor.
Neighbors should conduct themselves so that they may conclude each matter with a handshake.
I can’t say that our national discourse is any worse than it was when the camps supporting Jefferson or Adams went after each other. But what is greatly different is that the uncivil commentary goes viral in an instant.
Lawyers are leaders in the community. We have the training to argue points without calling people names. Let us lead by example.
Just my humble opinion. Please don’t unfriend me on Facebook.
George Brewster Jr. is a retired attorney after 35 years of practice, including JAG, private practice and the last 30 with the County of San Diego, Office of County Counsel