Celebrating a Decade of Excellence in 2024-25

Whereas, the Rule of Law is essential to preserving and protecting the rights and liberties of a free people; and

Whereas, throughout history, lawyers and judges have preserved, protected and defended the Rule of Law in order to ensure justice for all; and

Whereas, preservation and promulgation of the highest standards of excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills are essential to achieving justice under the Rule of Law;

Now therefore, as a member of an American Inn of Court, I hereby adopt this professional creed with a pledge to honor its principles and practices:

I will treat the practice of law as a learned profession and will uphold the standards of the profession with dignity, civility and courtesy.

I will value my integrity above all. My word is my bond.

I will develop my practice with dignity and will be mindful in my communications with the public that what is constitutionally permissible may not be professionally appropriate.

I will serve as an officer of the court, encouraging respect for the law in all that I do and avoiding abuse or misuse of the law, its procedures, its participants and its processes.

I will represent the interests of my client with vigor and will seek the most expeditious and least costly solutions to problems, resolving disputes through negotiation whenever possible.

I will work continuously to attain the highest level of knowledge and skill in the areas of the law in which I practice.

I will contribute time and resources to public service, charitable activities and pro bono work.

I will work to make the legal system more accessible, responsive and effective.

I will honor the requirements, the spirit and the intent of the applicable rules or codes of professional conduct for my jurisdiction, and will encourage others to do the same.

Mentoring is intended to help less experienced attorneys flourish in the practice of law.  Mentoring efforts will strive to help attorneys become more productive, efficient, and knowledgeable-not only about procedural and substantive law, but also about the custom and tradition of local practices.  Mentoring efforts will be consistent with the suggestions of The American Inns of Court through its web site. 

Matching Mentees and Mentors

The Inn will consider pupils and associates to be Mentees. The Inn will consider masters and barristers to be potential Mentors.  Each year, the Mentor Committee will ask all Mentees to complete a profile.  The Mentor Committee will then recruit Mentors and make recommendations about matches to the Executive Committee.  Each Mentee will have at least one Mentor, but may have multiple Mentors.  The Mentor Committee should match attorneys who will have a good rapport. The Executive Committee will confirm the pairings through a list. 

Mentor Meeting

Before or shortly after a new Inn year commences, the Executive Committee will coordinate a Mentors Meeting where the structure of the mentor program will be discussed.  During the meeting, the Inn President and the Chair of the Mentor Committee-or their designees-will outline appropriate mentoring-related activities and topics, and stress compliance with same for purposes of consistency among all Mentees, allowing some personal deviations.  This outline will include a requirement that Mentors introduce their Mentee to attorneys in the Mentor's practice area and have the Mentee accompany the Mentor to a certain number of law-related events.  The Mentor will also solicit and help with any career and ethical concerns of the Mentee.          

Initial Group Meeting

The Mentors and their Mentees will be introduced to each other at a meeting, preferably a lunch, organized by the Mentoring Committee no later than October 1. At least one member of the Executive Committee will attend.  The Mentoring Director will preside and explain the program. Mentors will sit with their Mentees at the meeting. 

Sharing Approaches to Mentoring

At least once a year, the Mentors will meet as a group to share their mentoring experiences and approaches, and ensure that the program is active and effective.  This may occur at a gathering or by conference call, but should occur no later than January 15.  At this meeting, the Mentoring Committee will encourage Mentors to enlist the aid of other seasoned members of the Inn if they were confronted with a particularly challenging mentoring issue.

Awards

Service by Mentors will be acknowledged at the annual Spring Social. The Mentor Committee may also develop criteria for a Mentor of the Year Award, and may make recommendations to the Executive Committee about the proposed recipient.  

The Texas Tech University School of Law Inn of Court recognizes the importance of emeritus member participation in the Inn. Therefore, the Inn plans to increase its outreach to its emeritus members. In this regard, the President of the Executive Committee or his/her designee shall contact each emeritus member of the Inn prior to the fall and spring meetings. The contact with emeritus members will be in person and in writing. The purpose of contacting the emeritus members with such regularity is to provide Inn updates and to encourage its emeritus members to participate in meetings and programs. The Inn recognizes that its emeritus members are uniquely qualified to provide mentorship to all its members.