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Modern Professionalism

Andrew Tisdale | May 5, 2026

The Texas Lawyer’s Creed and its lasting purpose.

“Civility.” “Honesty.” “Decorum.” “Professionalism.” These terms should be a part of every attorney’s practice. The Texas Lawyer’s Creed is a reminder for us to do just that. The creed was first adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas and the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas in 1989 in response to concerns about a lack of civility. The Texas Lawyer’s Creed is aspirational in nature. The Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct tell us what we have to do; the Texas Lawyer’s Creed tells us what we should do.

My personal favorite line in the creed is, “I can disagree without being disagreeable.” The legal system is an adversarial system, and a common misconception is that being civil with your opposing counsel is a sign of weakness. The legal profession can be extremely stressful, no matter the practice area. The ability to have a professional, courteous, and even friendly relationship with opposing counsel can make all the difference in the world, not just for the lawyers, but for the clients. I spoke to an attorney who shared a story of a time she was having a bad day and sent what she described as a less than professional email to an opposing counsel. She shared that she immediately regretted it, because she let her bad day win out over her good judgment. She expected an equally harsh response, but to her surprise, she received a phone call from this attorney just a few minutes later. The attorney did not yell, belittle, or return with an equally unprofessional response. Instead, this attorney asked if she was OK and if she was having a bad day, because that email was very out of character for her. She was able to apologize, and she and the other attorney still have a great professional relationship. She was grateful that the other attorney took the high road and responded with professionalism and civility, and it kept the case from spiraling out of control. Professionalism and civility do not only make the profession better for attorneys, but they also make the legal process better for clients.

Professionalism unfortunately seems to be on the decline throughout the profession. With the rise of technology such as Zoom and social media not only in the legal profession but also in the world, it is easier to forget that there is a person on the other side of the screen. One of my mentors, Gary Nickelson, told me, “Professionalism is about being able to pick up the phone.” Something as simple as picking up the phone and calling your opposing counsel on a new case and spending just five minutes getting to know them personally can go a long way toward creating a great professional relationship.

The Texas Lawyer’s Creed challenges us to rise above the minimum level of the disciplinary rules. Our profession is built on an adversarial system; we get to choose to conduct ourselves with dignity, restraint, respect, and understanding. Picking up the phone, granting reasonable extensions, or responding with grace instead of hostility are small decisions that can have large impacts on our practices, our clients’ cases, and the culture of our bar. Professionalism is not outdated, and it is not a weakness—it is leadership that we need now more than ever. When we can treat our fellow attorneys as colleagues instead of enemies, we not only uphold the creed, but we also strengthen our clients’ interest and the integrity of our profession.

Originally published in the May 2026 Issue of the Texas Bar Journal

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