A Lawyer's Creed
A Lawyer’s Creed and the Aspirational Statement on Professionalism were first developed by the Commission and approved by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1990, and most recently amended in 2013. By Supreme Court order, A Lawyer’s Creed and Aspirational Statement on Professionalism have also been incorporated into Part IX of the Rules and Regulations for the Organization and Government of the State Bar of Georgia.
The Commission’s hope is that members of the profession will recognize the special obligations that attach to their calling and will also recognize their responsibility to serve others and not be limited to the pursuit of self-interest. A Lawyer’s Creed and the Aspirational Statement on Professionalism cannot be imposed by edict because moral integrity and unselfish dedication to the welfare of others cannot be legislated. Nevertheless, a public statement of principles of professionalism can provide guidance for newcomers and a reminder for experienced members of the bar about the behavior to which all lawyers should aspire.
The Commission hopes A Lawyer’s Creed and the Aspirational Statement on Professionalism will serve as encouragement, guidance and assistance to individual lawyers, law firms, and bar associations as they recognize the special obligations that attach to their calling and their responsibility to serve others. You may download a clean copy PDF of A Lawyer’s Creed and the Aspirational Statement on Professionalism at the link here.
Aspirational Statement on Professionalism
In 1990, the Supreme Court of Georgia issued an Aspirational Statement on Professionalism setting forth general and specific aspirational ideals of our profession. The Court wrote, “As professionals, we need aspirational ideals to help bind us together in a professional community.” The Aspirational Statement on Professionalism is a beginning list of the ideals of our profession. It is primarily illustrative. The Court’s purpose is not to regulate, and certainly not to provide a basis for discipline, but rather to assist the Bar’s efforts to maintain a professionalism that can stand against the negative trends of commercialization and loss of community. It is the Court’s hope that Georgia’s lawyers, judges, and legal educators will use the following aspirational ideals to reexamine the justifications of the practice of law in our society and to consider the implications of those justifications for their conduct. The complete text of the Aspirational Statement on Professionalism follows the text of  Lawyer’s Creed and is found here. (Clean Copy Version)
Line-Numbered Version of
A Lawyer's Creed and the Aspirational Statement On Professionalism
For Teaching And Training
Please click here to obtain a Line-Numbered Version of A Lawyer’s Creed and the Aspirational Statement on Professionalism for Teaching and Training
