10 ways to stay out of trouble | Opinion | journalpatriot.com – Wilkes Journal Patriot

Chief Justice Paul Newby of the N.C. Supreme Court offered 10 suggestion of professional responsibility for attorneys when he spoke to members of the bar from the judicial district that includes Wilkes, Ashe, Alleghany and Yadkin counties at the Wilkes Heritage Museum on Aug. 25.

The topic of the gathering was professionalism in the sense of upholding sound ethics. While Newbys comments were directed to attorneys, it was sound advice for nearly anybody trying to weigh the rightness or wrongness of some matter. His 10 standards, going in reverse order, for making such a judgment are:

No. 10: Personally and professionally, live by the law. Sounds simple enough, but good people too often give way when tempted.

No. 9: Is your good reputation at stake with the decision a hand? A good reputation is still important, despite what popular culture seems to dictate;

No. 8: Does it pass the smell test? In other words, is it authentic, credible or ethical based on using your sense of propriety or common sense?

No. 7: How would you feel if whatever you are deciding to do appeared in the newspaper or on Facebook? If its something you wouldnt want others to know about, thats good sign to not do it.

No. 6: Dont do it if it requires having to search for a rule or some rationalization;

No. 5: Dont rely on our memory if you arent sure about the rightness or wrongness of something. Make sure;

No. 4: Be aware of the ring, as in the ring that tempted nearly everybody in the Lord of the Ring stories. Greed is a dangerous thing;

No. 3: When in doubt about the rightness of doing something, dont do it. Its almost always better to err on the side of caution;

No. 2: Would your mother understand and agree with what you did?

No. 1: Follow the Golden Rule. Treat others as you would want to be treated.

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10 ways to stay out of trouble | Opinion | journalpatriot.com - Wilkes Journal Patriot