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By Bill Altreuter

A. was in Chicago for a DRI meeting last week. She had a positive experience, but noted that the other lawyers from Buffalo-- one of whom she used to practice with-- were distinctly chilly in their demeanor. This is something I've noticed too, and it seems unusual. At a big national conference the lawyers who practice in the same cities are usually pretty friendly towards each other, and in smaller groups they frequently invite their competitors to participate in the meetings that they host. I was slated to speak at a Buffalo CLE later this month, and just learned that it has been canceled due to poor enrollment. The Bar Association person told me that all of their Buffalo programs struggle, and thatthey can run the exact program in NYC and sell every seat. I think this is part of the same picture. The fact is that an invitation to participate in a New York State Bar Association program in New York is regarded as a feather in one's cap, but around here it is viewed as akin to someone asking for your grandmother's secret recipes.

It isn't that the practice here lacks civility-- bench and bar in the Eighth Judicial District routinely extend courtesies and treat each other cordially for the most part. There is a paranoid mindset at work here that I think compromises us, and I think it is deeply ingrained. I'm guilty of it myself, but at least I recognize it.

Full post as published by Outside Counsel on September 08, 2008 (boomark / email).