Three things have happened over the last several weeks that sparked this post.
I referred a client to another lawyer in another town. The client called back and asked for another referral . The first lawyer constantly looked at his phone and his computer during the consultation.
A Doonesbury cartoon in last Sunday’s paper showed a couple in a conversation. Cell phone made an alert. Conversation abandoned while she checked her phone. Then, a total checkout.
While helping a lawyer prepare direct with a potential witness, the lawyer checked his cell phone three times during the preparation.
These three examples demonstrated that humans have become very dependent on cell phone technology and the need to monitor their cell phone constantly. When I started practicing, we only had pagers. For my younger readers, you might have to google what a pager looks like.
Lawyers must be able to connect and communicate. How can we do that if we are glued to our cell phones. Here are a couple of ideas.
- Leave your cell phone in your desk when meeting with a client.
- Do not ever take a cell phone into a meeting when you are preparing the case.
- Don’t take your cell phone to a trial. Leave it in your briefcase.
Lawyers need to communicate. How can we connect our folks in an effective manner ? Let’s lose the cell phones.