I would like to begin this post by apologizing to you, Faithful Reader. I would first like to apologize for the long absence to the few of you that actually read this blog on a regular basis. I was unable to post for such a long time because I was attending Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming. There is no Internet or cell service at the College, so it was impossible for me to post. It was also quite traumatic for a young professional hopelessly addicted to 3G coverage and Wi-Fi. After being home again for over a week, I still find myself waking at night in a cold sweat clutching my iPhone as if it were a winning Powerball ticket.
I would also like to apologize for the title of this post. For those of you who were alive and paying attention in the slightest during the 1990s, you will note that it is the theme song from the popular kids show Barney. As I was browsing through my previous posts looking for ideas to write about (I like to be "green" and recycle), I realized that I have referenced many an annoying song over the past few months: the Barney theme song, the Numa Numa song, the theme song to The Golden Girls, Let's Get Physical by Olivia Newton John, Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelley, Time After Time by Cindy Lauper, Dakota Fanning, and Sally Field. Okay, so the last two aren't songs but they're still arguably annoying. There is no doubt that at least some of you have gotten these songs stuck in your head for a day or so after reading the references in these posts. You are entitled to be annoyed and maybe angry with me, but I still ask that you refrain from assault and battery should we run into each other out on the street or in my office.
During the 23 days I spent in Wyoming at the College, we learned essentially how not be lawyers anymore. How to prepare our cases with a human element and to tell our client's story in a way that is, well, not so darn lawyerly. The first week of the college taught us that proper preparation involves truly learning to like, understand, and love your client. One of the methods we use to discover the client's story and understand the client better is called reversing roles. It's a way to walk in the other individual's shoes. Learning to reverse roles allows us to understand the world around us.
For the two of you out there that are regular readers of this blog (Hi, Mom!), you may have noticed that I tend to write a lot about the importance of communication in the attorney-client relationship. This is a frequent topic for me because it is so vitally important to the success of the case. But, communication and true understanding is also vitally important in all our relationships. This is true whether you're in an attorney-client relationship, husband-wife relationship, employer-employee relationship, etc.
In our hectic daily lives it's easy to get caught up solely in ourselves. Heck, getting caught up in ourselves is the sole reason Twitter exists. But, it's also important to put yourself in the shoes of the people you deal with on a regular basis. For me, that includes clients, insurance adjusters, and insurance defense lawyers. For you, that may include waiters, customer service reps, that annoying co-worker you secretly hate, and that delightfully unmotivated Wal-Mart cashier. Try to imagine what it's like to be in their position, to understand and empathize with that person before you get hostile with them for bringing you the wrong salad dressing. Or, before you assault and batter them for running out of chicken nuggets. You may be surprised at the results and how much more you can get accomplished. You may also be able to brighten someone's day; and, let's face it, we can all use some good karma.
Disclaimer: The views of the author are his own. This blog post is not intended to convey any specific legal advice upon any specific individual. The author's wife has taught him that role reversal can sometimes be tricky. Said wife had a bad day at work and the author listened, understood, empathized, and reversed roles. He even muted the television and put down his iPhone to do so, which is very uncharacteristic. She then rolled her eyes and went to bed. While the author apologizes for the references to so many annoying songs that may get stuck in your head, he does not promise that he will stop making said references. For the record, the author does not listen to such music on a regular basis. He is normally the victim of some TV commercial or unfortunate DJ selection on the radio or, and quite worse, his wife's iTunes playlist. The author typically and arguably listens to good music such as Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band, Aerosmith, and ZZ Top.
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