Before this week, it was merely unprofessional, sexist, and just really, really bad for male lawyers and judges to call opposing female council denigrating, condescending terms such as “sweetie” and “darling” in court in most U.S. states. Now, the American Bar Association has ruled that such behavior is “professional misconduct,” meaning that the use of such terms and other harassing actions might result in, “fines or suspension from practice, depending on the severity of the offense.”
The ruling by the A.B.A. also extends beyond the courtroom to include just about any situation involving lawyers and applies to any kind of inappropriate speech or action. Think of it as an office anti-harassment policy for the legal world with state bar associations acting as human resources.
Ally McBeal would be proud.