How Do You Deal with Rude Opposing Counsel?
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At The Velvet Hammer a little while back, Seattle plaintiffs personal injury attorney Karen Koehler described a tense encounter at a photocopier with opposing counsel and offered her readers seven tips on how to deal with others of his ilk. Among her tips:
“1. Sever all emotionality with the [rude opposing counsel]. You are the professor watching this interesting / silly specimen flail about in its petri dish.
“5. Protect your client. This is what motions for protective order are for. Dealing with rude lawyers is an occupational hazard that we need to be prepared for. But our clients are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Fight for them!”
So this week, we’d like to ask you: How do you deal with rude opposing counsel? Do you change your demeanor in any way? How do you help your clients and staff deal with them?
Answer in the comments.
Read the answers to last week’s question: What Nonlegal Tasks Have Clients Asked You to Perform for Them?
Featured answer:
Posted by Carol: “Back in the early days of Internet access, I had a longtime client (former college basketball player) from a fairly rural area call in a panic and ask me to go to ‘the magic box’ to find him ‘enough Converse All-Stars to last him the rest of his life’ (there had been an article that morning in the Wall Street Journal that Converse was going under). I managed to track a bunch down in his very large size halfway across the country. He’s still my client, and I asked him the other day how the supply was holding up—he told me fine. Obviously, I didn’t charge him for this.”
Do you have an idea for a future question of the week? If so, contact us.
