1. They think first, talk later;
2. They focus on depth;
3. They exude calm;
4. They let their fingers do the talking;
5. They embrace solitude.

Now, when I read the article the five points above really resonated with me.  You see, I’m an introvert.  So I got to thinking…can an introvert make a good lawyer?  More specifically, can an introvert make a good trial lawyer?

When I think of a trial lawyer, I think of a character such as Alan Shore from TV’s Boston Legal. Someone who is extremely quick on their feet with wit and sarcasm.  I’m asked occasionally by clients or prospective clients who want to know if I’m going to be a bulldog or super aggressive – someone who stands up and makes a show or screams and shouts around.

Can an introvert effectively represent their clients in trial?  I think so.  My experience has been that I examine a case in depth.  Preparation is of extreme importance.  More extroverted people are able to think on their feet and may not need to prepare as much in advance, but an introvert can get past that with in depth preparation where they plan a response for any conceivable argument or objection.

The third point, “exuding calm” is extremely important for trial lawyers – especially for divorce and family law lawyers because of the extremely personal and emotional nature of the cases we deal with.  By being able to stand back from the case from a non-emotional place and look at it objectively, you can more effectively represent and advise your clients.

I think introverts can make excellent trial lawyers and can effectively represent their clients.  What do you think?

Anyway, the plaintiff in the case claims that Victoria’s Secret manufactured a defective product that caused a piece of metal fly off of her thong directly into her eye as she was putting on the underwear cutting her cornea in several places.

If the story wasn’t worth watching by itself, I  enjoyed the legal analysis by the plaintiff’s attorney Jason Buccat, that started out with his quote, “Victoria’s Secret has their angels, but as we like to say, the devil’s in the details.”  Too much!  But I thought it was pretty humanitarian of them to say that the case is not about the money, but rather to ensure that other consumers aren’t injured by these killer thongs.

As a plaintiff’s attorney, I like to try to get with the plaintiff’s when I can, and I always want to see people get “made whole” when they have been injured by someone’s negligence.  I guess some cases just seem like too much.  I get the feeling that Meredith Vieira didn’t think there was too much merit to the case as she was interviewing the plaintiff and her attorney, but that’s what courts are for and they will probably make a lot of money.

I guess if it were up to me and I had to choose between the thong and the risk of getting hit by flying thong pieces, I would probably take the risk…

Gosh, that makes me sick – and scared.  It’s no wonder that lawyers have a bad reputation.  This one lawyer has negatively impacted an entire profession.  Maybe she has had a bad day, or just got some bad news from the doctor, but she still put a black eye on every other attorney.

Maybe the saddest part of this whole story is how the people reacted talking about how lawyers are destroying the country and so on.  The bad stuff always covers up the good that lawyers provide society.

Before you can get your license to practice law in South Carolina, the Bar requires you to go through certain training courses and one of those is called “Bridge the Gap.” This program is supposed to bridge the gap between law school and real world law practice by presenting a number of seminars with practicing lawyers and judges.

One of the meetings that really stood out to me was a statement made by a great South Carolina attorney, Gedney Howe, III from Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Howe told us that you have to be what your prospective client has pictured in his mind before he comes. Now this is different depending on where you are practicing. Some areas are more casual and the attorneys where khaki pants and golf shirts, others are more formal and attorneys are expected to where a suit every day. Greenville is somewhat of a mixture.  Many attorneys continue the tradition of wearing a suit and tie each day to the office and others are business casual wearing a knit shirt and khakis.

My office is generally more on the casual side.  However, I found that people seemed to question my ability because I looked young.  I could change a few things and at least make myself appear older and more experienced without having complete plastic surgery on my face to add some age.  I began to dress up on days I met with prospective clients.  Suits, ties, sport coats, and even glasses.  I usually wear contact lenses, but I look a little older (and maybe more distinguished) when I wear my glasses.  This, along with the tweaks to my office I mentioned above, seemed to help me get over the initial credibility hump because I looked more like a lawyer than the college intern.

I wanted to follow up with a few more ideas.

The first is that you can make up for your lack of experience and knowledge on specific issues by using that energy God has blessed you with. Most young people are much more energetic than our older counterparts. You have to use this to your advantage. Get out, ask questions, watch other people who are more experienced, dig in to the books, research, know your stuff. This will separate you from everyone else.

Next, I want to discuss the change in perspective based on our youth. In my profession, the more experience you get, the more jaded you seem to get. I understand this to be true in all types of jobs – churches, sales people, and everything else. Maybe this is based on pride and ego? Who knows? But you have a different perspective than everyone else. You have a different set of circumstances that make up your life. You can see things from different angles. Different is not always bad – just different. As a Southern Baptist, I’m used to hearing people say “we’ve never done it that way before” when a new idea is brought up.

Don’t worry about not being able to sympathize with everyone. That just isn’t possible, no matter who you are or how old you are. You won’t live everyone’s life for them and you can’t go back and feel their pain (though I feel like some clients are making me feel the pain). While I know I cannot sympathize with many things, I do my best to empathize with my clients. I want them to know I care. While I don’t know how they feel or exactly what they are going through, I have worked with others who are where they are and I feel empathy for their position. Just that emotion can go a long way.

I think young people can redefine how experience is expressed. As I progress in my practice, I can honestly tell you it makes me more confident to talk about certain things after I have personally experienced the process. I can give the client a much better understanding than when I am going on second hand knowledge. But when “real experience” cannot be had, get a mentor and get moving. That will be plenty to save the day.

One of the main concerns people (potential customers) seem to have is with a young person’s lack of experience.  It’s going to be a problem, so if you are a young professional doing whatever you will have to exert a little more energy to get someone excited about hiring you.

The first thing people do when you have a lack of experience is confuse this with a lack of competence.  That is so far from the truth in most cases.  For most people you have had to go through rigorous training to get where you are.  In my case, I went to college for four and a half years, then to law school for three years, studied like a machine to take and pass the bar exam and now the South Carolina Supreme Court says I am competent to be an attorney.  There are similar stories like this for everyone.

You are competent to do what you are doing  – you just don’t have the experience.  So, what do you do?

The first way you can make sure people know you are competent is by giving them “free” information.  I try to answer as many questions as I can for my prospective clients.  I try to make sure it appears that I know the process and know how to make their case work.  I give them the good and the bad about their case to show them I can look at the big picture as well as the minute details.

The place where I always get tripped up is trying to give too much information.  I have found myself talking about something and then I get to the point where experience would play in and I “forget my line.”  So, I would recommend that you give enough information to show you know what you’re doing, but you don’t have to give them all of the answers at the first meeting.  Besides, if you do that they may just not hire you and try to handle things on their own.

You can immediately gain experience by finding a mentor or three.  When my situation got rolling at work and the word got out, I had many more experienced attorneys offer their assistance.  I called many of them and they graciously gave of their time and knowledge.  For them I am truly grateful.  It may cost you a little cash so you can take them out to lunch to pick their brain, but that is an extremely small price to pay.

One thing that I have found by talking with some older, more experienced attorneys is that they are constantly presented with questions that they have never heard before or they have never participated in resolving.  That gives me comfort that I am not the only one who feels like they don’t have all of the answers.

My mentors provided me with the “experience” element that I was missing.  They told me a lot of the things you can’t learn by reading a book.  Like what preferences certain judges have, what is the protocol for certain types of cases, how to deal with large government bureaucracies like the Department of Social Services, how to draft certain legal briefs, and types of questions to ask at depositions to make sure you get everything covered.

I don’t want to keep rambling on, but there is more that I want to say.  I will post the second part of this post later on.

When I would go up to meet with clients they would always give me this look like, “where’s the real attorney?”  If they didn’t give me the look then it was because they thought I was just he paralegal coming up to get them for the attorney.  I definitely got the look, or the question, when I brought them into my office and began to ask about their legal needs.

I am starting a series on the blog about how to be confident and use your youth to your advantage no matter what business or ministry you are in and how to get your clients to fall in love with you and hire you.