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Month: June 2015

WHAT ABOUT PROFESSIONAL CIVILITY IN THE LAW?

WHAT ABOUT PROFESSIONAL CIVILITY IN THE LAW?

The subject of professional civility has been widely discussed and promoted in the past few years. Some states have incorporated the requirement in their oath of attorneys. All of the states  have emphasized it in recent years.  The United  States Supreme Court, the ABA and even The National Judicial College promote the principles of civility. Here, for  example,  is part of the language of the core principles from the Judicial College written for judges  nationally: “Civility encompasses a form of courtesy and…

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STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS

I’ve written before in this blog about the destructive foolishness of comparing ourselves to other people and then regretting we are not more like them. We do it regarding our looks, our body and our abilities. We do it as lawyers, trying to be exactly like some other lawyer we admire and envy. Plastic surgeons spend a good part of their professional life satisfying someone wanting to be like someone else. Teens model themselves after celebrities and peer group members they…

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HOW MUCH WILL YOU GIVE ME FOR THIS JUG OF WATER? PERSUASION PRINCIPLES

HOW MUCH WILL YOU GIVE ME FOR THIS JUG OF WATER? PERSUASION PRINCIPLES

During a flight in Europe I read an article in a business magazine I pulled  from the back of the seat in front of me. It dealt with one of my favorite subjects:  persuasion. The author, Steve Martin, begins the article describing a story he says an English business man  was fond of telling. It involved a young man who came to his office looking for a job. He said that after listening for a few minutes the business man pushed  a large jug of water on his desk…

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