I had the opportunity to see the Indiana Supreme Court at work today as they held oral arguments at the Stewart Center. (See this prior entry for details on the case.) Afterward, there was a lunch reception with the Tippecanoe County Bar Association and the Justices in attendance. Justice Rush said a few words and, in particular, mentioned how important the collegiality of the local bar membership was in her development as a lawyer.
I could not agree more. In fact, during my interview with the law firm I ended up joining, I remember asking about how the local lawyers got along. Coming up through school, I had somehow picked up the message about how cut throat lawyers were. That was never my style, and it was a concern of mine moving from my job with the Legislative Services Agency to private practice.
I don’t know how it is in other localities. Maybe the reputation of lawyers as cut throat jerks is overblown generally. But, here locally, I have only seen a handful of lawyers who fit the bill. That sort of nonsense doesn’t get out of hand because the Tippecanoe County legal community is a small one. If you make a habit of jerking people around and treating them poorly, word is going to get around pretty fast. Suddenly your handshake agreements are going to turn into a lot more work, and your ability to get things done for your clients is going to disappear. So, there is a built in incentive to behave yourself. Beyond that, maybe it’s a Midwestern thing, but the lawyers in town have always been very easy to work with and very willing to share knowledge.
It’s a great place to be a lawyer, and I’m happy I ended up here.
Lafayette lawyers that aren’t easy to work with? Pretty sure if you asked 5 civil attorneys, you’d get the same answer each time.
Dog, I have been somewhat fortunate in that I rarely do litigation. Occasionally I do a hearing, but my work is corporate. I have run into one or two SOBs. A few are just poor lawyers, some are just geared that way. My standard response to an attorney becoming obnoxious in a conference or hearing, I tell them, your client is not in the room, do not bother putting on a show. That seems to be a good and deep cut,
By the same token, the folks I practice with are mostly understanding when you have to grandstand a bit for the client’s benefit.
I have been in the trading business for almost 30 years and though the distances are great, as in the other side of the world, the same things ring true. Act like an asshole and you will be treated like an asshole.
On many levels, we like your being here too.