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50 Summer 2015 The Mississippi Lawyer When the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks played on Oct 14 2012 there was a fair amount of trash talking between Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady and Seahawks Corner Richard Sherman. Allegedly Brady told Sherman and a teammate to come see him after the Patriots won the game. Well the Patriots didnt win. Sherman approached Brady after the Seahawk victory and famously asked You mad Bro Since that time the question has become a staple in the lexicon of trash-talking. Richard asked Tom so Im asking you You mad bro and if you are mad right now or generally is that a good thing Unfortunately trash-talking and anger arent just limited to sports and can at times be seen in the practice of law. As attorneys we operate in a largely adversar- ial system. While not inherently unhealthy such a system is not for every- one. There are those for whom regular immersion in controversy is unhealthy. An attorney may not know this about him or herself before entering the program and may be left to either adapt possible risking their health or withdraw from the system. Then what For many others in practice we gener- ally work with people in the midst of con- troversy and sometimes they are very angry. For any number of reasons the client believes that litigation is moving too slowly or expenses and fees are too high or unwanted results never mind the fact they were warned. The clients anger may then be directed toward their own attorney. Then there are some clients who expect their attorneys to take on their level of anger and if he or she doesnt theyre not doing their job. There are also attorneys who seem to always be angry fighting over every minor or sometimes even irrelevant point. While zealous advocacy is certainly the expectation and an ethical requirement it appears that some in our profession con- fuse this principle with constant battling. Whether or not we are aware these scenar- ios are slowly but surely killing us. But enough about our work-lives what about life outside the office These days You mad ________ also seems to be a reasonable question for the average person on the street on any given day. Our socie- ty seems almost fueled by anger at this point so much so that the norm has become political rallies Facebook rants and twitter wars based on nothing more than vitriol toward someone some idea or some group. How did we get here Are we as a society really that angry If we are angry why More importantly how does this all this anger affect us Short answer negatively. What then are we to do First and foremost each of us must recognize the anger in our own lives the anger we express the anger we suppress and the anger directed toward us by others. Having recognized these we need to clean up our side of the street. With regard to our own anger we need assess its frequen- cy intensity and our methods of expres- sion. Some may need to identify and uti- lize better communication regarding our feelings. We need to set boundaries and expectations regarding the ways we are willing to accept feedback from others. The foregoing examination may be best handled with the assistance of a trusted family member friend or in some cases an objective professional. The steps above are also applicable in professional settings but more may be required if we are to decrease the negative effects of anger in our lives. To the extent we can we need to stay away from cases which may be toxic for us. Once engaged in the representation if we are ambushed by our clients counsels opposite or the facts and circumstances of the matter we need to be open to the possibility that we need to withdraw. Whether or not that spe- cific representation continues the consid- eration should inform our subsequent deci- sions regarding which cases we handle. If you have concerns related to your own anger or your reaction to the anger of others please talk to someone. Do not suf- fer alone. Your LJAP is here to assist if needed. All communication with LJAP is confidential and our services are volun- tary and free. I For Confidential Help Call The Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program. 1.800.593.9777 LAWYERS HELPING LAWYERS You Mad LAWYERS JUDGES ASSISTANCE PROGRAM C O N T A C T U S For confidential help call the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program at 1.800.593.9777 You can also visit our website Lawyers Assistance Program link on The Mississippi Bar website www.msbar.org