Lawyers are sometimes portrayed on TV as loud, abrasive, and frankly obnoxious. While it certainly makes for good and entertaining television, should real life lawyers act in the same manner? Of course not.
There are many reasons for this but in our view the most important reason is that to give effective counsel requires a sincere and trusting relationship with each client. Lawyers who are quick to interrupt or show off their knowledge or talk down to their client risk their clients shutting down and not sharing important information. Just as good lawyers will take the time to listen and observe their own client they will do so with opposing counsel and opposing parties. There is a lot to be said for the things we can learn about others when we are sitting and listening. An excellent second reason to act with civility and courtesy is that reputation matters. In our experience you do not gain any points with colleagues or the judiciary if you are rude and abrasive. No one likes to be stuck in a room with someone who is treating everyone else in the room with disrespect.
We truly believe that as lawyers we can be more effective by being respectful and focusing on legal issues as opposed to trying to bully other people into conceding our points.