Law Practice,
Judges and Judiciary,
Appellate Practice
Jul. 7, 2017
Don’t bite the hands that feed you
This scenario repeats itself over and over in courtrooms across America. Tone deafness and inflexibility have crashed many motion hearings. Clients suffer the consequences, and the "Rambo" lawyers saunter out with a distorted memory of the clash.
Nancy H. Vaidik
Chief Judge, Court of Appeals
Nancy is co-author of the book, "Point Well Made" (NITA, 2017).
Rebecca Diaz-Bonilla
Rebecca Diaz-Bonilla is a legal international communications coach.
During a 15-minute hearing, the judge read something (probably email) for five of those minutes, and then suddenly engaged with a battery of attacking questions. Clearly, she was annoyed by a certain statement, which set off fireworks. Instead of responding patiently, the advocate bit back with sassy answers and a patronizing tone. The judge grew angry, and the attorney was too tone deaf and inflexible to back down. The judge issued a scathing order.
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