Abstract
I. Introduction The fictional and highly admired lawyer and counselor that the author Harper Lee created in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird 1 and named Atticus Finch serves both as a professional hero for many lawyers and as the role model for the professionalism theme underlying and personifying much of this paper. Fortunately, Atticus Finch has been rediscovered by a significant number of today's lawyers. Being a consummate professional and moral role model, Atticus reminds us that lawyers also are human beings who thoughtfully counsel and zealously represent real people with real problems. From the inception, it is emphasized here that in To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch treats people, including his clients, their adversaries, other attorneys, and the court, with the utmost civility and respect--both publicly and privately. He is a caring, full-service lawyer and a single parent, who is devoted to his family, the practice of law, and his local community. In a seemingly timeless manner, Atticus epitomizes excellence in professional and private conduct and purpose, and by example, he now leads some lawyers, without regard to gender or status, to the high ground in the practice of law and even in life itself. To Kill A Mockingbird centers around Atticus, who takes on a high profile and controversial criminal case that his client is destined to lose. Atticus represents an innocent and honorable black man named Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. The book is set ...