Richard Greenberg spoke to law students in the Professional Development course at Florida State University College of Law this week. During his talk, he stressed the following key points about professionalism:

• Professionalism expectations while in law school:  Students need to understand that every aspect of their lives will be subject to scrutiny by the board of bar examiners. It’s essential to adhere to the traits of honesty and integrity.
• Professional responsibility issues faced by new lawyers: The excuse of “I was only following orders” will not suffice when a lawyer knows, or should know, that their conduct is against the Rules of Professional Conduct. A young lawyer has to have the fortitude to question supervising attorneys and others who ask them to do unethical things. It’s better to lose your job than lose your license to practice law.
• How important is your professional reputation? Judges and other lawyers talk about the lawyers they deal with. Your reputation can make or break you. Once your reputation is tarnished, you may never be able to rehabilitate it.