Gerry Spence died yesterday, August 13th, at 96 years of age. I have known him for over thirty years. Gerry was a giant among the plaintiff and criminal defense trial lawyers of this century. He was a true legend in his time. It was over thirty years ago in the small town of Poulsbo on the Washington coast that I first met Gerry Spence. Gerry was there to receive an award, and one early morning, at a bed and breakfast…
When we follow the careers of great trial lawyers we see different attitudes about learning new ideas. There are those who have a viewpoint “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it” when it comes to new ideas or research about being a trial lawyer. This attitude applies to lawyers who have been very successful just doing what they have always done and just keep doing the same. They are often afraid to leave their comfort zone and are reluctant to risk anything new…
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…