36th Annual Conference of the Professions

Governmental conflict with standards and professional judgment: Case studies in Texas.

Date: Friday, October 27th, 2023
Time: 8:00am - noon
Location: Scottish Rite 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, Texas 75219. 

What’s a profession to do when government legislation overrides its standards and judgments? Clergy, lawyers, and health professionals often contend with tensions between such standards and judgments and the demands of the state; such tensions have been exacerbated recently in Texas. This year’s conference will consider case studies from Texas that give rise to this tension.

About the Conference of the Professions

The annual Conference of the Professions is sponsored by the , the , the , the  and 91勛圖厙’s Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility. Each year an ethical issue of common interest is identified. A noted expert in the field presents a keynote address, and a distinguished panel of local professionals discusses a related case that poses practical issues for law, medicine, the clergy, and other professions.

Past Conferences 

Past conference titles along with the keynote speakers are listed below.

Mis- and Disinformation in the Professions: Vaccines, Voting, and Virtue - 05/27/2022

Divisive Times: Trust and Cooperation in Professional Relationships - 04/30/21

Crossing Borders - 05/24/2019

Time's Up for the Professions? Power, Sex and the Way Forward - 05/11/2018

Responding to Racial Conflict: Responsibilities of the Professions - 05/26/2017

Coming Home: The Professions Supporting Veterans - 04/22/2016

 - 04/17/2015

 - 05/09/2014

 - 04/26/2013

 - 10/14/2011

A Lawyer, a Priest, and a Doctor walk into a bar... The Ethics of Humor in the Professions - 10/14/2010

 - 02/17/2009

What in God's Name Am I Doing? - 02/11/2008

Preparing for Disaster: Fire, Flood, and the Flu - 03/30/2007

 - 03/01/2006

Healthcare for the Uninsured - 10/06/2004

Sexual Misconduct Within the Professions: Restoring Public Trust - 11/13/2003

Information Privacy and the Professions - 10/17/2002

Honor Thy Children? The Challenge of a Child-Centered Practice - 11/15/2001

Technology and the Environment: Promise of Benefits, Risks of Harm - 10/19/2000

Engineering of Human Tissue - 10/01/1999

Challenges to Diversity in the Professions - 10/22/1998

Death and Dying - 10/27/1997

Politics and the Professions - 11/21/1996

The Human Genome - 10/17/1995

The Professions and Violence in the Family - 10/25/1994

Money and the Professions - 10/28/1993

Chemical Dependency - The Professional's Responsibility to Each Other and to the Community - 03/14/1992

The Role of the Professional in the Community - 03/27/1991

Women and Men in the Professions: A Question of Balance in the 21st Century - 1990

The Socialization of the Professional and Mid-Career Burnout - 1989

AIDS, The Emerging Crisis - 01/20/1988

Self Regulation for the Professions - 12/09/1986

The Meaning of Professional Responsibility Today - 10/24/1985