Code of Conduct for Supreme Court Law Clerks and Staff Attorneys Back to Outline
Issued by the Supreme Court of Texas to govern behavior of Law Clerks and Staff Attorneys.
Canon 3 Perform Court Duties Impartially and Diligently
Law clerks and staff attorneys must perform their Court duties impartially and diligently. In performing these duties:
a. Law clerks and staff attorneys must respect and comply with the law and must conduct themselves at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. In the courtroom, law clerks and staff attorneys should be courteous and must maintain an impartial demeanor and refrain from engaging in conversation with attorneys or parties.
b. Law clerks and staff attorneys must maintain competence in their profession. They must be dignified, courteous, and fair to all persons with whom they deal in their Court capacity. They must diligently discharge their responsibilities.
c. The relationship between the Court and the law clerks and staff attorneys is a confidential one. Law clerks and staff attorneys must abstain from public comment about proceedings filed in the Court. They must never disclose to any person any confidential information received in the course of their duties, nor may they employ such information for their personal gain.
d. All discussions, comments, and deliberations of the Court must be kept in strict confidence. This duty of confidentiality continues beyond the law clerks' and staff attorneys' employment with the Court.
Bluebook Citation
Code of Conduct for Supreme Court Law Clerks and Staff Attorneys. § None, (Texas Center for Legal Ethics, 2024) from https://legalethicstexas.com/resources/rules/code-of-conduct-for-supreme-court-law-clerks-and-staff-attorneys/perform-court-duties-impartially-and-diligently/ (last visited Nov 21, 2024)