Civility in the Practice of Law: A Key to Effective Lawyering

A complaint about lawyers is that sometimes they are brusque.  Collinsdictionary.com defines a brusque person as a person that “deal(s) with things, or say things, quickly and shortly, so that they seem to be rude.”  It’s important to note that being busy does not mean a lawyer has to be brusque but can sometimes lead to this.  It is also important to note that intention of the lawyer may not mean to seem rude but that it can be perceived as such. In the case of a brusque lawyer the perception of the person on the other end can become the reality.

An older article from Jayne Reardon on the ABA’s website titled Civility as the Core of Professionalism is a great read for law students and practitioners alike to read and re-read on occasion.  The article covers what civility is, civility as a part of law licensing and public advocacy, the tensions between zealous advocacy and civility, the benefits of civility, declining civility, and consequences of bad behavior.