We’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about civility. We all know why it has become the topic du jour, but my impetus is actually the recent Hartford County Bar Association symposium. As a speaker and interested participant, I looked around the court room where the event was being held, and I saw many judges and middle-aged lawyers. Where were our younger colleagues? Probably worrying about billable hours, or all current with their CLE credits. Everyone who spoke, used the phrase: “we’re speaking to the choir.” So how do we expand the choir and why do we care?

I think we can agree that civility—treating others with courtesy, dignity, and respect—makes a lawyer a more effective advocate while incivility can cause many adverse consequences, including losing a client’s case, increasing the costs to the client, ostracism from the legal community and promulgating the public’s negative perceptions of lawyers. These situations are distinct from instances in which parties genuinely believe that resisting discovery, because of privilege, privacy or harassment is warranted.