by Scott Bonder President, DeKalb Bar Association The end of my tenure as president of the DeKalb Bar Association draws nigh and in hindsight, if not always fore or right-there-at-the-time sight, it was a rewarding experience. We continued a wonderful…

by Scott Bonder President, DeKalb Bar Association We are the DeKalb Bar Association, but rarely do we focus on our home county beyond the courts and networking. The last few years were rough for DeKalb County and the next few…

by Scott Bonder
President, DeKalb Bar Association

Gone are the days when a new year brought with it new teachers, and new classes. Holiday breaks used to be actual breaks and a welcome reset prior to the coming semester. Now, that same client who nagged you in December is likely going to nag you in January. That judge who disagreed with all of your arguments in 2014 is likely to continue disagreeing in 2015. The daily grind can be exhausting, but even briefly focusing on improving your work life can make each nagging client, disagreeable judge, and pesky opposing counsel far more tolerable.

by Scott Bonder
President, DeKalb Bar Association

Likely as a result of some horrific personality flaw, I focused on these with an almost OCD like neurosis. My goal has been to provide practical advice based on nearly 20 years as a lawyer with the theme of brevity being a good thing. In trying to decide what practical advice to give as we approach the holiday season, I realized that my theme of brevity should not continue unabated throughout the year. At times, brevity is a mistake.

Brevity is a mistake when you could be spending time with your family. Brevity is a mistake when you could instead spend some more time with your spouse or significant other. Brevity is a tragic mistake if you allow it to rule your life to the point that you look back at a life of brief moments and realize that you are not in any of the photos of your family or friends doing fun things that took a long time.

One great way to capture some time with family and friends is to make cookies. Yes, I said it, cookies.

by Scott Bonder
President, DeKalb Bar Association

Manners matter. Manners influence what others think of us and through their development as habits ultimately influence what we think of ourselves. Model the behavior you think best represents the competent professional and you will begin the transformation into that professional.

I do not mean to suggest altering your personality or changing your speech patterns. Instead, focus on those social manners that will project positive engagement with the community and people around you. For births, deaths, and significant events, try to send cards and personal notes. For illness and hardship, send meals or otherwise offer assistance. Do not limit these activities to your immediate circle of friends. Instead, expand your circle of friends by engaging in this conduct widely. These practices and manners were taught to me by several outstanding mentors and I have yet to regret one bouquet of flowers, meal or chore.

by Scott Bonder
President, DeKalb Bar Association

The pervasiveness of common errors does not render them acceptable. Lawyers should be models of proper speech and writing, which were developed to foster clarity and economy of communication. By offering these examples I do not suggest that I am error free. To the contrary, the following are but a few examples of improper usage that I struggle to remove from my communications daily (including those typos and errors that will inevitably and unintentionally end up in this article). Also, these are guidelines and exceptions may exist.

by Scott Bonder President, DeKalb Bar Association “Be brief! Why, because you are f%$&ing it up!” Irving Younger, The Ten Commandments of Cross Examination, Video of Presentation at UC Hastings, School of Law, I submit to you that truer words…