Charles Lawler
Clark Hill
Clark Hill
Unfortunately, civility is hard to codify or legislate, but you know it when you see it. It’s possible to disagree without being disagreeable.
Sandra Day O’Conner
Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business.
P.T. Barnum
We seem to live in a world where many have forgotten the importance of civility in business, politics and the law. Merriam Webster defines civility as a; civilized conduct, especially courtesy and politeness, and b; a polite act or expression. Is this really that hard? Is this something that we, as advocates of the law, should try to practice daily? I would assert that we all should consciously try to be more civil in our daily practice and in our daily lives. We all can make the world a better place through daily conscious acts of trying to be more civil. We can make the world a better place one activity at a time.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s Irvine, California office adopted a Code of Civility for its office. The Code is below in bold with my comments on each portion:
We greet and acknowledge each other.
This is simple act of kindness which requires little effort on our parts. Think of the many times that a simple hello and acknowledgement has brightened up our day. It costs nothing to say hello and it might help someone you encounter to have a better day. Especially when many are returning to their offices, the opportunity to meet and greet each other will warm the souls of many.
We say please and thank you.
Our parents and other influencers in our lives have taught us this simple act of kindness. Think of how many times someone has said thank you to you and what it has meant to you. The use of please and thank you drives us to continue to help others and serve society. I would suggest we consider taking this one step further and say, “you’re welcome.” Positive social interaction is good for our mental wellbeing.
We treat each other equally and with respect, no matter the conditions.
This one might require some more effort. This just requires us to take a step back and be respectful. The individual we are interacting with deserves this type of treatment. Furthermore, if the conditions are difficult a respectful ethical approach to the individual has a greater chance of moving the interaction to a positive result. We can control how we interact with others. “A drop of honey is worth a gallon of vinegar,” Dale Carnegie.
We acknowledge the impact of our behavior of others.
This is one that I personally struggled with for years. My wife, Karen, has helped me become more aware of my body language and behavior’s impact on others. Watch the visual cues you are getting. It is easy to see if your behavior has had a negative impact on someone and take the time to correct. Please keep in mind how is the message I am delivering going to be taken. There is more than one way to accomplish your goals. Maybe we should consider actions that will not be taken in a negative way.
We welcome feedback from each other.
This is important to understand how our actions are being perceived by others. Ask your co-workers how they interpret what you discussed. Enable your coworkers to be willing to share their feedback with you. Feedback from individuals in your inner circle will help you achieve your goals. Those who love and respect you will help you achieve your goals and point out situations where your actions weren’t received as intended. We all need to constantly strive to be a better person today than we were yesterday.
We are approachable.
The door is always open. The key is do you really mean it. We, as part of the legal profession, have been given or earned great opportunities. With opportunity comes obligations. As I have stated many times, I believe those in our profession have an obligation to help others. You never know when you are going to have the chance to make a difference in someone’s life. Leave that door open and welcome the opportunity to help others.
We are direct, sensitive and honest.
Honest, open and empathic conversations will garner the best results. I enjoy conversations with my partners, because they always tell me what they think and are completely honest. They tell me when I might be off base, whether in my professional or personal life, and challenge me to reflect. I appreciate and welcome these conversations. These conversations are good for all of us.
We acknowledge the contributions of others.
Good leaders continually praise others. Generals don’t win wars it is those in the trenches. I know that my legal career would have never been as successful as it has been without my long-time assistant Kinneitha Thomas. Without her I would not have become a member, had the number of clients I have or become member-in-charge of Clark Hill’s Lansing office. Furthermore, we should acknowledge others because it is simply the right thing to do.
We respect other’s time commitments.
We, as attorneys, should easily understand this one. That said, everybody’s time is valuable. When opening discussions or starting telephone conversations, maybe our first comment should be, “is this a good time?”. Everybody’s time is important to them let’s all try to keep that in mind when going through our busy days.
We address incivility.
This one might be the most difficult but might be as important as any of the above to develop the culture we want in our offices and work environment. We should take the opportunities that we encounter to encourage others to treat each other with respect, kindness, dignity and civility. At times the individuals who we choose to address regarding incivility probably aren’t even aware of how their actions are being perceived. Let’s all try to be more assertive with regard to situations we encounter where incivility persists.
I truly believe that all of us in the legal field are uniquely situated to lead our country to a better place. All the division and the pandemic have led to some people beginning to judge and lash out against others. Let’s all try to make a conscious decision to be more civil in how we treat everyone in our life. Let’s all try to make the world a better place one interaction at a time. It is a pleasure to have had the opportunity to work in the legal environment. It has changed my life and I hope that I am able to make the world a better place for others. As Nike says, “Let’s just do it.”
Charles A. Lawler is a member of Clark Hill in Lansing.
Sandra Day O’Conner
Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business.
P.T. Barnum
We seem to live in a world where many have forgotten the importance of civility in business, politics and the law. Merriam Webster defines civility as a; civilized conduct, especially courtesy and politeness, and b; a polite act or expression. Is this really that hard? Is this something that we, as advocates of the law, should try to practice daily? I would assert that we all should consciously try to be more civil in our daily practice and in our daily lives. We all can make the world a better place through daily conscious acts of trying to be more civil. We can make the world a better place one activity at a time.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s Irvine, California office adopted a Code of Civility for its office. The Code is below in bold with my comments on each portion:
We greet and acknowledge each other.
This is simple act of kindness which requires little effort on our parts. Think of the many times that a simple hello and acknowledgement has brightened up our day. It costs nothing to say hello and it might help someone you encounter to have a better day. Especially when many are returning to their offices, the opportunity to meet and greet each other will warm the souls of many.
We say please and thank you.
Our parents and other influencers in our lives have taught us this simple act of kindness. Think of how many times someone has said thank you to you and what it has meant to you. The use of please and thank you drives us to continue to help others and serve society. I would suggest we consider taking this one step further and say, “you’re welcome.” Positive social interaction is good for our mental wellbeing.
We treat each other equally and with respect, no matter the conditions.
This one might require some more effort. This just requires us to take a step back and be respectful. The individual we are interacting with deserves this type of treatment. Furthermore, if the conditions are difficult a respectful ethical approach to the individual has a greater chance of moving the interaction to a positive result. We can control how we interact with others. “A drop of honey is worth a gallon of vinegar,” Dale Carnegie.
We acknowledge the impact of our behavior of others.
This is one that I personally struggled with for years. My wife, Karen, has helped me become more aware of my body language and behavior’s impact on others. Watch the visual cues you are getting. It is easy to see if your behavior has had a negative impact on someone and take the time to correct. Please keep in mind how is the message I am delivering going to be taken. There is more than one way to accomplish your goals. Maybe we should consider actions that will not be taken in a negative way.
We welcome feedback from each other.
This is important to understand how our actions are being perceived by others. Ask your co-workers how they interpret what you discussed. Enable your coworkers to be willing to share their feedback with you. Feedback from individuals in your inner circle will help you achieve your goals. Those who love and respect you will help you achieve your goals and point out situations where your actions weren’t received as intended. We all need to constantly strive to be a better person today than we were yesterday.
We are approachable.
The door is always open. The key is do you really mean it. We, as part of the legal profession, have been given or earned great opportunities. With opportunity comes obligations. As I have stated many times, I believe those in our profession have an obligation to help others. You never know when you are going to have the chance to make a difference in someone’s life. Leave that door open and welcome the opportunity to help others.
We are direct, sensitive and honest.
Honest, open and empathic conversations will garner the best results. I enjoy conversations with my partners, because they always tell me what they think and are completely honest. They tell me when I might be off base, whether in my professional or personal life, and challenge me to reflect. I appreciate and welcome these conversations. These conversations are good for all of us.
We acknowledge the contributions of others.
Good leaders continually praise others. Generals don’t win wars it is those in the trenches. I know that my legal career would have never been as successful as it has been without my long-time assistant Kinneitha Thomas. Without her I would not have become a member, had the number of clients I have or become member-in-charge of Clark Hill’s Lansing office. Furthermore, we should acknowledge others because it is simply the right thing to do.
We respect other’s time commitments.
We, as attorneys, should easily understand this one. That said, everybody’s time is valuable. When opening discussions or starting telephone conversations, maybe our first comment should be, “is this a good time?”. Everybody’s time is important to them let’s all try to keep that in mind when going through our busy days.
We address incivility.
This one might be the most difficult but might be as important as any of the above to develop the culture we want in our offices and work environment. We should take the opportunities that we encounter to encourage others to treat each other with respect, kindness, dignity and civility. At times the individuals who we choose to address regarding incivility probably aren’t even aware of how their actions are being perceived. Let’s all try to be more assertive with regard to situations we encounter where incivility persists.
I truly believe that all of us in the legal field are uniquely situated to lead our country to a better place. All the division and the pandemic have led to some people beginning to judge and lash out against others. Let’s all try to make a conscious decision to be more civil in how we treat everyone in our life. Let’s all try to make the world a better place one interaction at a time. It is a pleasure to have had the opportunity to work in the legal environment. It has changed my life and I hope that I am able to make the world a better place for others. As Nike says, “Let’s just do it.”
Charles A. Lawler is a member of Clark Hill in Lansing.
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