There’s been a blogversation that I’ve missed about civility among lawyers. Matlock the Republican complained about the ego-trip of a prosecutor earlier this week and followed it up with the rudeness of a fellow defense attorney. Bennett the Zen Master responded with calmness while Greenfield the Bulldog replied with a middle finger by thumbing his nose.

So which is it? I agree with Scott that if another attorney acts in a way that interferes with my ability to represent my client or does something to harm my client, “it’s on”. But I also agree with Mark (Bennett) that most of the time, you’re just wasting your own time by giving in to the anger and letting yourself get involved.

I’m not here (in the legal arena) to show off my skills or assert my presence. I’m here to represent my client and represent him effectively and zealously. Everything else is a distant last. I will try my best to do that in as civil a manner as possible, because anything else just isn’t worth my time.

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