Are you a young woman lawyer getting ready to appear in court for the first time? If so, I bet you are both excited and nervous. I know that I was. Let me share my experience with you.
I loved the 80′s and I had the big hair, leg warmers and enormous earrings to prove it. When I started law school in 1987, I briefly considered changing my look (so I would fit in) but I was not ready to throw out my Madonna bracelets and hairspray. Letting go of my favorite decade and the terrible fashion would have to wait. I was an 80's hold-out and I embraced it.
Then I got a job. I was going to be a litigator at the firm of my dreams. It was 1991 and I knew that it was time. One of the partners asked me to file and argue a motion to dismiss for failure to issue a summons within 10 days.
Back then, I had no idea that such motions were rarely made, and seldom granted, but that wouldn't have mattered. I was going to be in court on a real case and I had to look the part.
The 80′s were over and I was a lawyer after all. So, I purchased my first suit (red of course), traded in my plastic earrings for a pair of disc-like clips, and pulled my hair back so as not to overwhelm the courtroom (and because my mother told me I should).
Preparing for this motion was my mission. I practiced and researched on my own time every day, recalling the sage advice dispensed by my trial advocacy professor. Body language was important he said, so I made sure to incorporate sufficient arm movement as I readied myself for the big day.
After entering my appearance before the court for the first time ever (pretty cool), I started in with a passionate plea for dismissal of the action asserted against my client.
I was doing everything right and thought that if my professor could see me now, he would be so proud. I was using my arms and moving around just like he instructed. Then, somehow as I was closing in on my final points, my right hand brushed my right ear and my disc-like clip-on earring became airborne, landing and then ricocheting off of the judge's bench.
I was horrified and turned about the same color red as the suit I was wearing. The judge erupted in laughter, along with the rest of the courtroom. Between his bouts of merriment, the judge finally managed to say: "That's why we don't let women in court, Ms. Hampton!"
The 90′s were not looking good for me. But all that changed when the judge granted my motion. I learned that I could survive public humiliation if it meant a win for my client. I just maybe needed to better control my body language and keep the earrings home the next time.
What is the lesson here for you? Stay focused on the finish. As a trial lawyer, you never know what may happen in court. You have to have grit and remember that what is important is the result you get for your client.
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