ProfessionalismCommittee

What Does Professionalism Mean to Me?

My name is Annie Kwong. I was born in Orlando, Florida. My parents immigrated from China and owned a local Chinese restaurant for 25 years, where I waitressed and bused tables. Through that experience, I interacted with customers and often learned about legal issues. I gained an interest in the law and always had an interest in helping others.

My life motto is, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Always treat others as you would like to be treated.

Which leads me to the question: What does professionalism mean to me?

our clients to find a mutual resolution to the issues in their case. At times, we hide behind emails to get our points across. It is just simple enough to pick up a phone rather than write an email in which your tone or intention can be misconstrued by the other party.

Fourth, mentoring is critical, especially for new lawyers out of law school. I had many mentors in my legal career. Besides my mentors at work, I had mentors from many voluntary bar organizations who taught me how to lead by example. I had the great opportunity to be the president of the Greater Orlando American Asian Bar Association. It was through that organization that I met many long-lasting friends and colleagues. We continue to share legal experiences and discuss balancing our careers with our family life.

The elements of professionalism are

1) ethical responsibility, 2) excellence in service to clients, 3) promoting civility and civil relationships, 4) mentoring, and 5) an obligation to serve the public interest.

We have an ethical responsibility as lawyers. We need to be sure anything we say to opposing counsel, the court, and client is accurate and complete. Our duties are to zealously advocate for our clients and provide them sound advice. There are a lot of grey areas in the law, and it is our job to examine our choices and take responsibility for our decisions. If you make a mistake, it is better to apologize than to use a lie to cover it. Second, we need to provide excellent service to our clients. They depend on our legal knowledge to guide them through their case to get a satisfactory outcome. We must show them courtesy and respect. Clients may have unrealistic expectations, but it is our job to explain what they are getting themselves into and show them both sides of the equation. Sometimes before speaking, we need to listen to what clients say and what they want the final outcome to be.

Third, it is essential to promote civility and civil relationships. Our job is very adversarial at times, and it is our job to remain calm and collected. We win by using case law and being prepared. We must be willing to give each other the common courtesy or the benefit of the doubt. It requires us to treat everyone with respect. We should seek to cooperate with opposing counsel and

Last but not least, we should serve the public interest. It is essential to take on pro bono cases. In my case, it’s through the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc. The community needs lawyers to help them. I have enjoyed participating in the Legal Aid Tax Clinic for the past 7 years. I can help others and also get them a tax refund.

I am honored and humbled to be the recipient of the Lawrence G. Matthews, Jr., Young Lawyer Professionalism Award. I congratulate Judge Dalton and Mary Ann Morgan, who also are award recipients. I thank the OCBA’s Professional Committee and the Executive Committee of the OCBA for this great honor. Thank you to my firm, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood, and Boyer, for providing the foundation to practice law and attorneys Tom Moore, Debrah Zeitler, and Kevin Murphy for mentoring me in workers’ compensation. Thank you to my parents, who instilled in me that hard work will get me far, and for always being there to advise me. Thank you to my sister, Alice, who is my biggest cheerleader. Thank you to my husband, Jim, for supporting me in my career and voluntary bar activities and always letting me know I can do anything I put my mind to. Thank you to my 4-month-old daughter Allie for being my sunshine and teaching me patience. Thank you to the legal community and all who nominated me for this award. Without you, I would not be the lawyer I am today.

Annie Po Lam Kwong, Esq., is an associate in the Orlando office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A., where she focuses her practice in workers’ compensation defense. Kwong is the recipient of the 2023 Lawrence G. Mathews, Jr. Young Lawyer Professionalism Award. She has been a member of the OCBA since 2015.