Professionalism, as I see it, is in part about what happens inside an office. But it’s also about how people carry themselves outside the office. When I trained younger lawyers, I’d say, “Let’s be clear. You represent the people. So I expect you to get to know exactly who the people are.” I’d tell my team to learn about the communities where they didn’t live, to follow neighborhood news, to go to local festivals and community forums. “For the people” means for them. All of them.
