Three attorneys were sworn into the Alaska Bar Association Friday in the Dimond Courthouse.

The new members — Chris Peloso, Dan Hubert and Donna Smith — took an oath administered by Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg and Juneau District Court Judge Keith Levy.

Pallenberg told them by joining the Alaska Bar, they were joining a long-standing tradition of professionalism and civility.

“We sometimes hear people tell jokes about lawyers and denigrate lawyers, and I want to encourage you to not ever let that make you lose sight of the task that you take on in becoming a member of the bar and joining a group of what I think are — with very, very few exceptions — very talented, hard-working professionals who respect and honor the trust that you take on as lawyers,” Pallenberg said. “So I think you are fortunate to be joining a group of people in Alaska, and Juneau in particular, who still value those things.”

“Juneau’s a special place to practice law, and I’m glad that you’re joining us here,” Pallenberg added.

Levy offered the attorneys two pieces of advice: “First, in the words of Eric Clapton, tell the truth, and the second is play nice. Pretty simple watchwords.”

Levy spoke of the importance of not misleading the court and gave examples of attorneys in Juneau doing the right thing.

“This is a small community and your reputation for honesty is like gold, and if you lose it, it’s a bad thing,” Levy said.

Peloso, who is already a member of the California Bar, works for the state of Alaska as an assistant attorney general. He deals mostly in environmental litigation.

Hubert is a patent attorney who is a member of the California and Texas bars. He said he is doing consulting for the Juneau Economic Development Council on technology transfer and intellectual property for the SpringBoard Program.

Smith belongs to the Oregon, Washington and Idaho bars. She works for creditor’s rights for Zwicker & Associates P.C. in Portland, Ore.

The Alaska Bar Association has about 4,000 members, according to its website.

• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.