No Help Within the Legal Field, Anymore

Recently, in one of my law classes, we had a guest speaker who mentioned something that stuck with me, he said that there is no helping one another in the legal field anymore, no comradery amongst the practitioners or the assistants in the field. He said that when he started practicing law in the 1970’s that if you made a mistake, the clerks or the judges would simply point it out and do what they could to help you out, and that the opposing counsel would not sling mud and beat you down, but would help to make you a better attorney.

For some reason this just struck me, coming from a small town I am used people lending unsolicited, and sometimes, albeit, much needed, advice. I know that one of the judges from my hometown is very understanding to the attorneys that are trying cases they have never dabbled in before, and always helps instruct them on the law instead of just rejecting their motion because it is not legally correct.

I say, perhaps this is a good thing, because it forces attorneys to either stay within a concentration they feel comfortable with, or it forces them to do their own independent research before going to trial or taking a case. In fact, I think this is an angle that my guest speaker did not address and, frankly missed in his analysis. If attorneys keep using the crutch of intelligent colleagues, then they will never be “zealous advocates.”

This is one reason that I am thoroughly enjoying working for Larry Rice and learning about family law. Being here is teaching me how not to be the guy relying on other attorney, but the knowledge I need to succeed in any practice, and unquestionably family law. Therefore, I say good for the clerks and judges and shame on the attorneys that rely on them for help, they are there to be impartial to the parties, not help one side of the matter.