The Foundation of the American Board of Trial Advocates is proud to present Civility Matters, an effort to promote the first specific purpose in ABOTA’s constitution:
“To elevate the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession.”
ABOTA created Civility Matters with the hope that the program would be presented at ABOTA educational activities, other bar and professional programs, and, especially, in every law school in the country. The programs feature first-hand lessons and experience from ABOTA members and are intended to instill values and standards that promote high regard for the legal profession.
ABOTA Chapters across the country host and promote successful Civility Matters programs, which feature first-hand lessons and experiences from ABOTA members.
The following video, moderated by the Civility Matters Program Chair Judge James Edwards, features real life court proceedings where civility has broken down, and provides insights from a distinguished panel made up of Judge Patricia Doherty, Attorney Michele Morales and Attorney Michael Damaso as to strategies to avoid incivility, or to restore civility to such proceeding:
Reporting CLE credit to the Florida Bar:
Course number: 2204511N
Title: Civility Matters
Course Level: Advanced
Credits: Professionalism – 1.0
General – 1.0
Certification Credits: Civil Trial – 1.0
Approval Period: 06/29/2022 – 12/31/2023