Why have we as lawyers become so judgmental of others in our profession? Why do we feel so possessed to be aggressive? I think it is often the loss of perspective along with the tension we all feel to achieve results. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but it tends to make us tense and a bit of a beast sometimes. I must admit that I tend to think it is a little less so for solos, home office lawyers, carpet commuters and Third Wavers. Possibly this is true because we do not also feel the institutional pressure of THE FIRM to perform and otherwise achieve what might not be achievable. It might also be that we are more centered in the real world. We do not have blinders and, along with our practices, we are acutely aware that the opinions of others are justifiably as important -- are family, loved ones, friends and church. Too often, I feel, the confining walls of Big Law gives everyone tunnel vision and leads everyone to believe that you can feel, react, and operate differently at home and socially, than at work or court.
Let us face reality. It is a hard, tense and stressful legal world out there. It is easy to feel closed in, isolated, and pushed. It can turn good lawyers into beasts, and this just too often rears its nasty head in court, in pleadings and in dealings between lawyers.
That was the reason that I was interested in the methods of a new judge on the Dallas, Texas bench, as reported on by David Finn.
Judge Lynn Cherry tries to sooth the savage beast of attorneys that arrive in her courtroom in a snit. She plays classical music such as a Bach concerto or a Beethoven sonata to relax the litigants and their lawyers. The Judge states if opposing counsel is being so aggressive, it really does make a difference. She also may invite an uptight lawyer into her chambers for a relaxing sit-down on her massage couch and other knickknacks telling the lawyer, ... "my space is your space, so make yourself comfortable". Her chambers are laden with potted plants and her courtroom has a coffee station and breath mints to sweeten even the most distasteful rulings. She is also said to have lit candles and handed out smelly lotion to try to ease tension between lawyers." One family law solo, Michelle May O'Neil, has called it a "courtroom spa."
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