Mastering the mechanical basics of lawyering is the necessary baseline for all competent attorneys. However, an attorney cannot truly earn the distinction of “counselor” until they learn how to insert their own unique personality and creativity into their professional thought process and interactions. The most successful attorneys are not the ones simply trying to role-play being a lawyer, but who harness the power of their own personalities regardless of the circumstances. In this group, we will discuss how we as clinicians can help our students to not just go through the rote motions of lawyering, but also add their personal flavor to client interactions, working with supervisors and fellow students, and (as appropriate) to their legal strategy and work product.
We have identified three primary challenges which we plan to open up for discussion during the session: how to help students to trust themselves enough to be themselves (students often see their own inadequacies as hindrances while not recognizing and often even hiding the value of what they do bring to the table), how to help students to successfully develop a professional persona that’s still true to their individual personalities (being professional does not mean being stiff and overly formal), and how to show students that “being themselves” (so long as it’s not just a euphemism for “being casual”) is actually a benefit and not a hindrance to building client relationships.