REP-PP Spring 2016 Blog: Integrity

Blogger: Joey Vrechek

Law School Year: 3L, May 2016 graduate
Placement: National Rifle Association, Institute of Legislative Action, Grassroots Division

Integrity​:  Character is Destiny

Integrity is, in my opinion, the most important of the six Aggie core values. Without integrity, the remaining five core values cannot exist in any meaningful way. A person without integrity cannot effectively lead others, or be trusted to diligently follow. A man devoid of integrity is a man whose loyalty to others is valueless and the loyalty of others to the man without integrity lasts only so long as they remain unaware of his deceit. Excellence, at the expense of integrity, is not excellence at all. A person without integrity would not and cannot selflessly serve others. And above all, to abandon your integrity is to lose respect for yourself and for those around you.

As part of our in-class discussions, as well as in our placements, we are learning a great deal about what it means to be professional, to have integrity. Specifically, we have explored the ethical responsibilities a government lawyer has and to whom we owe those responsibilities. Ethical considerations, in this town especially, are ever-present. As Aggies, we owe a duty to both ourselves and our institution; to do everything with integrity and the utmost professionalism. As it is with everything in the law, there are always grey areas. In the case of ethics, however, I believe our integrity must drive us to a higher standard and we should strive stay as comfortably far away from those grey areas as possible.

The Aggie spirit of integrity is exemplified in our group’s in-class and out-of-class discussions. As interns serving in many different offices, in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, that are often political or ideological adversaries, discussing work activities is ethically a fine line to be tread upon lightly. We all have information that we have been trusted with and it is expected that we do not share that information, no matter how interesting or exciting it may be. We have all done an amazing job of not breaching that trust with our employers, and I believe that is just one example of how the Aggie spirit of integrity has been demonstrated and honored in this experience.