Effective Advocacy Doesn't Require You to be a Jackass.

Jason Brown recently wrote a post for JDs Rising, a blog for new lawyers in Minnesota, setting out why it pays to be courteous. While I don't agree with his contention that being a rebel or an outsider is synonymous with being a jerk, I do agree that there is no reason to be unpleasant to opposing counsel, their staff, or court staff. The last of these three categories cannot be stressed enough. There is no upside to being unpleasant to the court's support staff. Sometimes, that will get you sanctioned.