Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2015

Abstract

The adversary system's pressures can strain the tone and tenor of a lawyer's oral speech, but the strain on civility can be especially great when lawyers write. Words on paper arrive without the facial expression, tone of voice, body language, and contemporaneous opportunity for explanation that can soothe face-to-face communication. Writing appears cold on the page, dependent not necessarily on what the writer intends or implies, but on what readers infer.

This article is in three parts. Part I describes two manifestations of incivility, a lawyer's written derision of an opponent, and a lawyer's written disrespect of the court. Part II describes how either manifestation can weaken the client's cause. Part III describes how incivility in writing can also compromise both the lawyer's own personal enrichment and the lawyer's professional standing among the bench and bar.

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