Entering a courtroom or a judge’s chambers for the first time can be a very daunting and nerve-wracking experience for any new lawyer. While good facts, a solid litigation strategy and persuasive arguments are the tools that will likely lead to a successful outcome for your case, it doesn’t hurt to master those things that are within your control no matter how junior you are. Failure to remember these 10 basic survival tips may not cost you the case, but it could cost you your dignity.

Bring a Pen

While it may sound incredibly basic, there are lawyers who come to conferences or hearings without a pad of paper and pen to take notes, record requests made by the judge or keep track of future dates in the case schedule. Even if you don’t think you’ll take notes during a conference, there’s something very disturbing about an attorney with no notebook, notepad or paper. Lawyers carry papers and pens. They want a record of what occurred before a judge. It’s only natural. So when the judge suggests a discovery deadline or next conference date and you have to borrow a pen and paper from the judge’s law clerk or opposing counsel, it makes you look ill-prepared, unorganized and a bit too relaxed about the entire encounter with the judge. And, ultimately, the judge will believe those qualities carry over into the briefs you submit and the arguments you later make.

The Golden Rule

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