It’s no secret that the legal profession can be one filled with high emotions, stress and some not-so-nice individuals. One of the mistakes that many young (and sometimes, even experienced) lawyers make in the courtroom or at a settlement conference is to lose their cool and allow the other side to get under their skin. Losing your cool — especially in the courtroom — is not the most professional things to do, especially in front of a jury, and can significantly harm your side in a case. One of the first things you should do when picking up Law (or really any profession) is to set up a couple of routines to go through before you say anything you might regret or lose your temper. Here are five great options to help lawyers, as well as pretty much anyone, keep calm in the face of a stressful situation.
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1. Pick Up Meditation/Yoga
Starting a habit like meditation or yoga certainly isn’t for everyone, but it can have great benefits to your overall mood and ability to monitor your emotions. Yoga and meditation allow you to clear your mind of outside stressors and calm yourself for an extended period of time each day. While obviously you can’t just break out the yoga mat in the middle of the courtroom nor can you meditate during the closing arguments of the opposing side’s attorney, these habits will teach you to channel your anger and keep your cool in all aspects of your life — including your work.
2. Exercise Regularly
A great, relatively underrated way of releasing your daily stress and anxiety is to make sure you get sufficient, regular exercise. Exercise has been proven to reduce levels of anxiety in those who regularly participate. Even if you have a rough day, or don’t get what you want out of a settlement, you can take out your anger at the beginning or end of the day by going for a jog or hitting the gym and doing some kickboxing or another rigorous activity. On the plus side, in addition to shedding off some of those negative emotions, you might shed off a few extra pounds too.
3. Don’t Take it Personally
Remember that the legal profession is a highly competitive and cutthroat industry. If someone attacks you or your case, or points out a gaping flaw in your argument it’s important to not take it personally. Since I’m assuming you’re a lawyer, you probably know that most lawyers aren’t terrible human beings — we just have to do our job, and that frequently includes attacking the faulty evidence or arguments the opposing side makes. When this happens to you (and it will), it’s important to not take it to heart as a personal criticism. If you take things too personally, you’re bound to start letting it affect the rest of your case and mood, which can lead to you quickly losing your cool — and your case.
4. Breathe Before You React
Regardless of whether it’s a bad experience in the courtroom, or just with your spouse or the cashier at the supermarket, before you lose your cool take a deep breath. Not only does a deep breath cause you to prevent yourself from quickly reacting to what someone else said, but it gives you a brief moment to think over your response — and how a negative reaction might go over. If you allow your emotions to get the better of you might immediately blurt out something you might regret, or appear unruly and uncouth to a jury or judge. In the courtroom these can hurt your case, and at home they can hurt your personal relationships. By breathing before you say anything or react to someone else’s criticism, you have a brief moment of relief and contemplation before you let your emotions get the better of you.
5. Realize You’re in Control of Your Emotions
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt may have said it best when she said that “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” At the end of the day, whether its criticism from the other side, a fight with a loved one, or simply a rough day, it’s important to know that you and not those around you are in control of your emotions. If you walk into the courtroom and say, “I will keep my cool, because I am in control.” You are much more likely to prevent anything the opposing side says get to you personally. Anytime someone says something critical, insulting or just downright mean, remember that if you let them get into your head, you’re letting them win. A good lawyer knows that he or she is control of the situation and that includes their own emotional state of mind.
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W.T. Johnson is the founder of The Law Offices of W.T. Johnson, a Dallas, Texas based law firm specializing in cases of personal injury. Seeing many a courtroom and frequently sitting down at the table to settle, Johnson knows the importance of keeping his cool under pressure to represent his clients and achieve justice.
