a ProFile in ProFessionalism

A Profile

in pRoFessionAlism

Kelly B. rose

Senior Vice President, Legal and General Counsel ConocoPhillips

For me, professionalism begins with treating others with kindness and respect, a basic tenet of human society that we learn as children. But it is especially important for lawyers to be kind and respectful. The practice of law can be stressful. Even practice areas that are not inherently dispute-related involve conflict. The profession is increasingly competitive, and constant connectivity can weigh on personal time. Our clients and colleagues have high expectations of us, and it can be hard to keep up. If those pressures weigh on you, they also weigh on your assistant, paralegal, office staff, opposing counsel, clients, and colleagues.

The antidote to these pressures is kindness and respect. It can be as easy as a genuine smile and hello in the elevator or as difficult as giving someone the benefit of the doubt rather than assuming ill intent. I believe that being kind and respectful to all not only makes you a more effective lawyer, but also leads to greater personal happiness and professional satisfaction.

How to interact in the professional world isn’t something that is formally taught. It’s a skill that you learn by observing and imitating. As a young lawyer, senior partners at Baker Botts taught me that a well-reasoned but polite disagreement was vastly more effective than an escalating argument. Opposing counsel 30 years my senior chose to treat me as an equal instead of taking advantage of my inexperience. Clients forgave rookie mistakes. Every one of those interactions added another layer to my understanding of what it means to be a professional. And in my 30 years of practicing law, I believe they were the most influential lessons I learned.