Skip to main content

Virginia State Bar President Offers Insight to Regent School of Law Students

Dean Jeffrey Brauch, Kevin Martingayle,
and Professor Natt Gantt.
While the Virginia State Bar (VSB) exists in part to uphold the ethical standards of today’s legal professionals, many times the bar of professionalism is set too low, according to VSB president, Kevin Martingayle.

On Thursday, April 2, Martingayle spoke to Regent University School of Law students about the importance of upholding ethics and professionalism in advocacy.

According to Martingayle, a lawyer who follows a vague notion of mere ethics still has the opportunity to be a “jerk” during advocacy. He's seen a lot of young lawyers – himself included – who have fallen into the trap of being too aggressive.

"When the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, everything looks like a nail," said Martingayle.

Martingayle explained there will be temptation to get an advantage in a court case at any cost. Including simple ways, like denying the opposition an extension on a deadline, or being "snarky" in email exchanges.

While there aren’t always “hard and fast” rules to follow in every legal situation, the advice Martingayle gave to young lawyers was to fight the temptation to act and respond in the moment, particularly online.

Martingayle has even gone so far as to use an unprofessional email from his opposition as an exhibit in the court of law.

“The emotional response is almost never the right response,” said Martingayle. “Choose your words as though everyone is reading them. Don’t ever write something you might regret.”

Martingayle gave advice to students, naming the faux pas he sees on a regular basis from lawyers fresh to the courtroom. His best advice? Calm down and be professional.

“Don’t ever lose your common sense or your manners,” said Martingayle. “When you’re conducting business think about if one of your pastors, your spouse, your parents – the people who want to be proud while they were watching your decisions – would they be?”

Learn more about Regent University School of Law.

By Brett Wilson

Popular posts from this blog

Regent Law Hires Two New Faculty Members—Both Yale Law Graduates—for Fall 2022

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (July 5, 2022) – Today, Regent University School of Law announced the appointment of two new members of its faculty, Erin Morrow Hawley and David D. Velloney.  Both Hawley and Velloney are graduates of Yale Law School.  Professor Hawley will teach constitutional law and serve as a senior fellow at the Robertson Center for Constitutional Law.  Professor Velloney will focus on criminal law, military law, and constitutional criminal procedure.   Professors Hawley and Velloney are the third and fourth professors added to the Regent Law faculty in the past year.  “We are incredibly fortunate to attract such exceptional teachers, mentors, and scholars to our faculty,” said Brad Lingo, dean of Regent University School of Law.  “Our students will love learning from professors Hawley and Velloney and benefit from the depth of experience and Christian perspectives they bring.” New Faculty Appointments: Erin Morrow Hawley: Associate Pro...

Regent Alumna Nominated for Two Judgeships

Tanya Bullock, a 2000 Regent Law graduate, has been nominated for a judicial position on Virginia Beach’s Circuit Court and for a vacancy in the city’s General District Court. Bullock founded the firm Bullock & Cooper with her twin sister, a 2002 Regent Law graduate. Bullock has been honored numerous times for her outstanding work in the legal field and on behalf of the community. Awards include Inside Business’s Top 40 Under 40 and Hampton Roads’s Outstanding Professional Women . Previous to founding her firm, Bullock worked as a local prosecutor. Only four others were nominated for the Circuit Court vacancy, including a current general district judge and a former delegate. Ten others were nominated for the General District Court position. Nominations were submitted last month to the Virginia Beach Bar Association, which distributed the names to members and asked them to rate the nominees. When the General Assembly’s regular session convenes on January 13, 2010, the local ...

Why is Regent’s Financial Planning Program in the Law School?

by Paul Allen ,  Associate Director of   M.A. in Financial Planning & Law Does a financial planning program really belong in a law school? I wondered about that when I first joined the Regent University team.  Financial planning is primarily about finance and money. Those topics are typically taught in business school. Why, then, would Regent put the Financial Planning Master's Degree program in the School of Law?  Turns out there are some good reasons for it! Let me state upfront that Regent University would not have a financial planning program that meets the CFP Board’s standards at Regent Law without assistance from the School of Business and Leadership (SBL). The faculty and administration at the SBL consistently exceed the CFP Board’s learning requirements. The program may be housed in the law school, but it is truly a team effort. Here are five advantages of earning your master's degree and becoming a CFP® t...