Best — continued from Page 36
plaintiffs’ lawyers lies in the human con- nection. We are much better able to con- nect with others and to be likeable when we are happy and comfortable in our
own skin. It’s well worth the effort to get there. Years ago I went to TLC because I felt like a fraud. Sure, I had won trials
and awards, but I felt like my victories must all be flukes because I didn’t feel the way I assumed I was supposed to feel when I tried a case, i.e., supremely confi- dent, like I assumed all other trial lawyers felt. I assumed that other trial lawyers felt confident that they knew exactly what they were doing and had everything under control at all times, and, for sure, none of them were ever scared!
Since I thought I was supposed to be
able to plan for every contingency in a three-week, one-month or six-and-a-half month trial, and didn’t seem to be able to do so, and would be anxious about missing questions I should have asked, and God forbid what if I lose … I came to the only logical conclusion, which was that I was not really trial lawyer material. One plus one equals 57, right? Thankfully, a good friend and fellow
CAALA member, Scott Glovsky, spotted me a mile away and told me about this great medicine for trial lawyers who rep- resent people, called TLC. When I went to TLC, I found out that lots of us assume many things about one another, including about how it feels for other people when they try cases, and those of us who do all this assuming are mostly wrong. At TLC, among other things, you
leave work behind (phones, faxes, e-mails, motions, trials, etc.) and work on yourself and your trial skills for three weeks with groups of amazing trial lawyers from across the country. At Spence’s ranch in Dubois, Wyoming, you have the opportu- nity to learn from people like Gerry Spence, Jude Basile, Paul Luvera, David Ball, Geoffrey Feiger, Rex Parris, Milton Grimes, Bill Trine and Josh Karton, among many others. How can you beat that? TLC and a book called Mindset by
Carol Dweck were transformational for me. For any of you who wonder if this is the right career for you, who feel burned out or who just want to be the best trial lawyer you can be – I highly recommend going to TLC and reading Mindset. I am a much better person, lawyer and trial lawyer for having done both.
38 — The Advocate Magazine FEBRUARY 2012
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