Last month I reread Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.” He was imprisoned for leading protest marches against stores in the city that discriminated against black patrons. While in jail, he wrote a response to white ministers who called his protests “unwise and untimely.” King’s letter is a model of powerful persuasive skills and moral clarity — both of which are key for general counsel to possess.
• Lesson No. 1: Get to the point, and make it a worthy one . After some gracious pleasantries, King clearly lays out what is at stake: “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.” He compares his mission to that of St. Paul, who, like King, was compelled to carry a message — the former, the Christian gospel; the latter, freedom.
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