The Hon. James L. Graham Delivers Program on Professionalism

April 18, 2005

The Honorable James L. Graham, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, delivered a speech at Capital University Law School as part of a program on Professionalism. The program was part of the April 13, 2005, meeting of the Columbus Bar Association (CBA) Professionalism Committee.

Introduced by former Dean of the Law School and former President of Capital University Josiah Blackmore, Judge Graham discussed the Do’s and Don’ts of Professionalism. He began with the dictionary definition of the word professionalism, but organized his speech using the “three Cs: character, competence and civility.”

Students, faculty, and staff of the Law School attended the meeting as well as members of the CBA Professionalism Committee. Law School Professor Lance Tibbles, who organized the event, said, “It was a unique opportunity for the Law School community to interact with the CBA Professionalism Committee and to hear a very highly respected jurist discuss an important topic for everyone in the legal profession.”

Judge Graham received his BA from the Ohio State University and his J.D. from the Ohio State University College of Law, summa cum laude, in 1962. He was in private practice specializing in civil litigation from 1962 to 1986. In November 1986, he was confirmed to the District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He became chief judge in October 2003.