For those who may not know, the Florida Bar is now requiring all attorneys to watch a two-hour
video on Legal Professionalism, as a part of your CLE requirements. I watched this video and
highly recommend it. The highlight for me was the lecture given by attorney Brian Tannebaum,
which centered on real-life scenarios and practical tips on what to do and more importantly, what
not to do, in specific situations.

Many of you will confuse Legal Professionalism with Legal Ethics, however, they are not
synonymous. As explained in the video, Legal Ethics as defined by Chapter Four of the Florida
Bar Rules are the minimum requirement for an attorney practicing in the state. Legal
Professionalism refers to the expectation that attorneys in our state will do more than the
ground-floor standards. The Florida Bar expects us to pursue and practice the highest ideals
and tenets of the legal profession. The essential ingredients of professionalism as defined by
the Florida Bar are character, competence, commitment, and civility.

A Local Professionalism Panel can resolve professionalism complaints. Although a Panel
cannot discipline a lawyer. If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, the Panel can refer
the matter to The Florida Bar for an investigation into whether the reported conduct violated the
Florida Rules on Professional Conduct. The 11th judicial circuit, 17th judicial circuit, and the 15th
the judicial circuit all have such Panels.