One of the cardinal rules of being a lawyer – and I’m talking about every kind of lawyer – is to remember to be polite to a fault to the court staff and clerks. This takes on even more importance if you are litigator or in court often, and it is of the utmost important when starting a law firm.
I won’t give specific examples, but I will say that the clerks would often call me if a filing mistake had been made or something needed to be corrected. That kind of courtesy can be a true lifesaver and the court staff does it because they know you and they like you.
During my time in Indiana, I was also able to get court dates scheduled, for the most part, when I wanted them scheduled. My clients liked that, I liked that, and the court staff was willing to accommodate. Many times, I was also able to make as many copies of court documents as I pleased without having to worry about paying for paper. That might not sound like a big deal, but when you are in court every day and going through a lot of paper, it is great. I even had one of the clerks call me and remind me that I had a minor collection hearing that I had forgotten about. The clerk didn’t have to call me, but she liked me, so she did.
For the most part, I think the court staff liked me because I made and effort to talk to them about their day and was always ready to help them with their jobs. One good way to get the court staff to like you is to always file your own court pleadings. That way, you are able to meet with the court staff face-to-face and talk to them. They get to know you. They get to know about your wife, your children, your home, and everything else about you. You get to learn the same things about them. I try to treat the court staff with the utmost respect (as I do with my clients). My attitude is that people are people wherever you go. If you try to be gregarious and helpful, people are going to like you.
I also don’t see anything wrong with using people skills to help build your law practice. That is what being a solo attorney is all about – networking with people. I think that is why many attorneys decide to start a law firm, because they like people. A lot of solo attorney work is dealing with clients, the court staff, and your own employees on a personal level. I like that. That is what I want to continue to do as I go down the path of starting my own law firm.