the resolutionary lawyer
Author and attorney Stewart Levine continues his dialogue on lawyer life (mentioned here and here) with this article about an alternative to the adversarial model embraced by our legal system. He puts out the call for us to forgo scorch-the-earth tactics as a line of first resort and, instead, cultivate the “attitude of resolution” that’s the hallmark of resolutionary thinkers – lawyers whose “core competency” is an “ability to lead people to a new vision that returns them to the real business of their lives.” Recognizing that the “worst conflicts are among people with the deepest relationships,” the resolutionary touts the benefits of collaboration and cooperation. After setting out “10 principles of The Attitude of Resolution” (which include creativity, openness, feelings and intuition), Levine goes on to list the qualities and abilities of a resolutionary lawyer. Among these traits are confidence, empathy, fairness, listening skills, faith, trust and an open mind. Levine believes that we’ll have “little to lose and a huge upside potential” in shifting to resolutionary lawyering. And, as a result of the shift, “clients will be happier, societal transactions will move forward with less friction, and lawyers will reap the benefit of deeper levels of personal and professional satisfaction as they accomplish their work with, not against, other lawyers.”
