★ Law Day ★

Conversation, connection may be antidotes for incivility in law

Shielded behind computer screens, some people behave in ways that are downright rude — or worse. As the practice of law moved online with the COVID-19 pandemic, those familiar hazards to civility arose in the legal profession as well.

By Grace Barbic

The incivility monster: Why being bad feels good

Practicing attorneys are acutely aware of the potential consequences of incivility. And yet, incivility persists. Could it be that attorneys are hard-wired to lose their cool? Does it pay to be belligerent? And how do the pandemic and other stressors contribute?

By Emma Oxnevad

Zealous advocacy and beyond: Leaders share views on civility

Terry A. Fox of the Illinois Defense Counsel, Patrick A. Salvi II of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and Stephanie Villinski of the Illinois Commission on Professionalism contemplated our questions on what’s going right — and wrong — with how attorneys act.

By Chicago Daily Law Bulletin staff

Collaborative conversations require a mindful approach

Contributors Dan Cotter and Pat Eckler reflected on how they behave as media partners — and why civility is the necessary foundation of the conversations about the law they want to convene.

By Pat Eckler and Dan Cotter

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Law Day Letters

Lawyers, judges play key role in restoring trust

The pandemic blew a hole in the fabric of our society. We see it in the rise of crime and mental illness. We lost time and some of our civility. But we can make things better.

By Eileen O’Neill Burke

Enlightened behavior requires understanding

What we learn in school or early in our career isn’t the end. Rather, it’s the beginning of what must be a lifelong effort to refine our understanding and respect for others.

By Andrea Hanis

Courtesy, cooperation should be the norm

In recent years, polarizing issues such as hyper-partisanship, COVID-19 policies and societal unrest borne from our nation’s reckoning with systemic racism have provided fertile ground for debate and disagreements. Divergence of opinions has oftentimes been articulated in ways that are discourteous, disrespectful and at times, deadly.

By Nicola “Nicky” Boothe