The Emotional Side Of Practicing Law

The Emotional Side Of Practicing Law

The Emotional Side Of Practicing Law

Aristotle posed that “the law is reason free from passion.” Of course, this is hardly close to anything that resembles the reality of the practice of law, nor life itself. While in its simplest terms, the law may be the words of a statute or an opinion of a judge, a law has far-reaching effects, and not just on plaintiffs and defendants. There is indeed an emotional side to practicing law.

If anything, the law is never free of emotion. The law is the result of emotion – the emotional reactions of humans to a given situation. The practice of law involves clients on all levels and of all types. Law school provides the tools necessary to practice law, which is serving clients. The CDTA provides both the hard and soft skills that attorney-advocates require to meet the needs of clients in the 21st Century.

However, attorneys serve clients not just to practice law for the sake of making a living. Attorneys serve clients because there are a vast number of people that desperately need the representation and assistance of attorneys to receive justice. Attorneys can help the poor and unfortunate who cannot fight by themselves. They can help those wrongly charged with criminal offenses, and parents fighting for custody of children. An attorney can help right a wrong and minimize, if not eliminate, the effects of injustice.

Attorneys must be ready at a moment’s notice. No one retains a personal injury attorney in case of an accident. People call on attorneys when they are needed, usually at the last minute. An attorney should always expect the unexpected during an initial consultation. Clients act and react with a multitude of expressions and emotions when meeting with an attorney for the first time.

While attorneys must maintain dedication and feel empathy, they must retain a certain level of objectivity to do their job and serve their ultimate purpose. Balancing professional competence and personal feelings is often a balancing act, which, itself, cannot overshadow the attorney’s commitment to the client’s cause. Attorneys must advise and guide clients to the best resolution possible using the best of their abilities. Too much involvement or disconnection is usually not in a client’s best interests.

The California Desert Trial Academy was founded with a progressive vision of legal education. This vision includes the maximum utilization of technology to help students achieve their professional goals. At CDTA, we offer online legal resources that provide convenience, repetition, and hands-on training 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.

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