Schmidt, Sethi & Akmajian Blog

Civility Matters

Posted by Dev Sethi | Apr 23, 2014 | 0 Comments

By Dev Sethi

This week I had the privilege of presenting a CLE, continuing legal education on the subject of civility in the legal profession. The seminar was presented by the State Bar of Arizona and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). I like teaching these classes because I enjoy the interaction with other lawyers as we discuss both age old and cutting edge problems and issues of practice. I also like it because it gets me out of the office and together with friends and adversaries.

This seminar, though, was special. It offered the opportunity to talk about the very important topic of civility in the civil litigation system alongside Judge Jim Marner and some very distinguished members of ABOTA, from Arizona and California.

Too often civility falls to the wayside in a heated litigation. Clients demand aggressive advocates, and lawyers, themselves, can get caught up in a downward spiral of aggression and unprofessionalism. So this session was a nice way to call time out and remind ourselves that lawyering is a profession and even in battle we can disagree without being disagreeable.

Two highlights stand out, both of which are worth sharing. First, remember the Golden Rule – treat others the way you want to be treated. That is really the beginning and end of the instruction. If we keep in mind what our parents taught us as kids, we will all be a lot better off. Second, civility is not a sign of weakness. To the contrary, civility – like kindness – requires control, courage and power.

As we reviewed the materials and had a back and forth discussion, a picture came into sharp focus. Litigation in Arizona, especially Tucson and Pima County, remains exceptionally civil and professional. Our community of lawyers is small. We are repeat players in the system, and bad behavior is swiftly recognized and swept out. We have more and more Phoenix and out of state lawyers coming here, and frankly I think their clients are ill-served sending these folks in, often unprepared for the professional and civil tone that we strike in litigation. But even with this incursion, trying cases and representing clients in Arizona remains a true privilege.

About the Author

Dev Sethi

Dev Sethi litigates and tries a wide-range of complex injury and death cases throughout Arizona. He has Martindale Hubbell's highest rating, AV, and he is listed in "Best Lawyers." Dev is also recognized as an Arizona Super Lawyer in the area of plaintiff's products liability litigation.Dev has been at the forefront of auto product defect litigation. He played a key role in uncovering the Goodyear Load Range E tire scandal and worked to hold Ford Motor Company responsible for the danger posed by their now notorious 15-passenger vans. Dev is currently representing families in product liability suits against the nation's largest corporations including General Motors, Ford, Pentair Pools and Invacare.

Comments

There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.

Leave a Comment

Our team works together - for you!

Our award-winning lawyers are backed by a talented, caring team of legal professionals, paralegals, bilingual assistants, notaries, and others - all dedicated to you, your case, and the compensation you deserve.

No fees and no costs until we win.

As such we always have your case and your best interest in mind. When you win, we win too by providing the best legal care possible.

Thorough investigation and preparation.

We tirelessly and thoughtfully prepare every case we represent as though it was going to trial. This lets insurance companies know that we are a force to be reckoned with. As such, we settle successfully 98% of the time.