New rule: Lawyers can’t call fellow attorneys ‘honey’ or ‘darling’

The American Bar Association has new professional guidelines barring referring to female attorneys with sexist language.

The ethics rule now forbids comments or actions that single out someone on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability and other factors. Nearly two dozen state bars and the District of Columbia bar have similar rules. But there has been no national prohibition of such behavior, which, many female lawyers complain, results in too many “honeys,” “darlings” and other sexist remarks and gestures toward them while they are trying to practice their profession.

Any penalties would be determined by state bar associations and might include fines or suspension from practice, depending on the severity of the offense.

While critics argued that such a broad rule would impair free speech while representing clients and impinge on the freedom to reject potential clients, no lawyers signed up to speak against the revised rule, which was passed Monday afternoon by a voice vote at the A.B.A.’s annual meeting in San Francisco.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.