Fighting the Good Fight

In my legal writing class, we were assigned a fictitious case for which we will be do legal research, draft motions and make oral arguments. As I read the complaint and depositions provided, it was clear to me what the legal issues were. (Gee, maybe I am learning something in law school!) But at this point, my real life brain kicked in. My real life brain said, “You know, these are reasonable, if fictitious, people. We ought to be able to sit down and work out these disagreements.” Real life rewards you for solving problems expediently.

Law school, on the other hand, trains you to dig up more issues, to demolish your opponent’s arguments, and to win a judgment. I understand why. If your case goes to court, as a very tiny percentage of lawsuits do, it’s likely that someone will win and someone will lose. A good lawyer must be able to aggressively and effectively fight for her clients’ interests. And I desperately want to be a good lawyer.

So I am doing my research, honing my arguments and preparing to battle. Real life has taught me to be a good negotiator. Now I’m preparing to be a good fighter too.