Civility and professionalism — and often the lack of it — have become increasingly discussed subjects in judicial opinions and between lawyers. To recognize and advance the importance of civility and professionalism in the legal profession, several years ago the Indianapolis Bar Association founded a Professionalism Committee. This Committee has undertaken several projects, most of which are driven by the “Standards of Professionalism” adopted by the Committee. Those standards can be found at www.indybar.org/resources/professionalism.

We are all aware of the Rules of Professional Conduct, the Indiana Rules For Admission To The Bar And The Discipline Of Attorneys, the Rules For Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the Code of Judicial Conduct. Those rules spell out the formal parameters that govern our conduct as lawyers and judges. A new program from the Indianapolis Bar Association seeks to quickly and easily add some practical insight about how those rules apply in daily practice.

Over the last year, the Professionalism Committee and numerous preeminent members of the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Judiciary have worked on a new initiative entitled, “Pause for Professionalism.” The purpose of this program is to provide members of the Bar Association with quick (no more than 5 minutes) and easy to access (just “click”) videos that are delivered to your in-box. The presenters are highly respected judges and lawyers who give a succinct presentation on the practical application of topics dealing with civility, professionalism, and/or ethics. You can look forward to seeing videos from Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker, Chief Judge Margret Robb, Judge Gerald Zore, Melissa Avery, Bob Hammerle, Wayne Turner, Melissa Proffitt Reese, and John Van Winkle. The subjects include civility in family law, discovery, criminal law, appeals, mediation, business transactions, and more.

Beginning in March, please keep your eye open for the “Pause for Professionalism” link within the IndyBar weekly e-bulletins. The Professionalism Committee encourages you to click on these videos and take no more than five minutes of your time to “Pause for Professionalism.” New videos will be distributed every other month; following their debut each will be available for viewing anytime on the IndyBar website at http://www.indybar.org/resources/video-gallery.php.•