I use stories like this to demonstrate a point. Another attorney and I battled it out in court for almost three hours one day. It was a case that had to be heard by the court. What I liked was that the other attorney was like me. We were
throwbacks to a time when cases were tried in court, when necessary, not settled or continued. The Magistrate did a good job of ruling on objections. I believed I knew the outcome, but that’s up to the Magistrate, not me. At this point, it’s not important.
Sometimes, I hear people complain that attorneys have some buddy system. Are we friends outside of court? Yes, some are. Do we do what we can against each other in court? Yes, we do. I point this out only because clients see their attorney talking to the other attorney, and at times, the conversation appears friendly. I remember That part of it ends when we walk into the courtroom.
I use the analogy of boxing. For 12 rounds, two guys pound on each other and then embrace (attorneys don’t do the last part). It ends; we go our separate ways and can be friendly toward each other again until the next time we meet in court.
Folks, please believe there is no collusion regarding your case. Most of our business is by word of mouth,
which requires us not to cut secret deals but to fight for the rights of the people we represent.
As a side note, I remember getting ready to leave for a hearing and telling my wife, the attorney on the other side. Regarding attorneys, he was the only one I considered a friend. When my wife asked about going to court against him, I made a comment that shocked her but assured her he would do the same. Looking back, it did have a nasty tone to it.
It sounded to her like we hated each other. I assured her that it would seem like this while in the courtroom, but when it was over, it would be forgotten, and we’d move on. After the hearing, we talked about the hearing on the phone. It was almost like a critique of each other—some joking with neither conceding our points. Only the judge could decide which was right, or more right.