Judith Livingston, senior partner at KDLM was featured on “What I Wish I Knew Then” with Steve Cohen for the New York Law Journal. During the interview, she offered advice to young lawyers that she would give her younger self.
Young Trial Lawyers
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You have to be willing to take on the hardest of the hard cases. You have to be willing to fail because you learn so much from that.
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Watching good lawyers is invaluable for anyone who wants to be a trial lawyer.
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You can never know your case well enough. There’s always more to learn.
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Never stop reading your file and reading your case because you’ll constantly learn more things.
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Adopt the great skills of other lawyers, but always be yourself.
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Realize you don’t know it all.
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Be patient with the process, and go easy on yourself.
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Work harder. It’s hard work doing what we do and doing it well.
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Put down the phones.
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The ability to listen is huge – listen to the witnesses’ answers because they’re golden.
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A real aspect of voir dire in medical malpractice cases is you’ve got to listen and look for kinder people, people who care. Show an interest. It’s not just reading from a list of questions. Talk to people, and show a real interest in them and who they are.
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You want jurors to see your human side, and understand it, in jury selection.
“Good trial lawyers have skills. They know how to cross-examine, how to elicit certain information and work hard as trial lawyers in the courtroom. But great lawyers, they have a passion for what they’re doing, they have a belief, they have empathy for their clients that they bring with them into the courtroom. And I do believe that to be a really top lawyer, you need both of those things.” – Judith Livingston
Share this advice from top New York personal injury lawyer, Judith Livingston with your friends and family members who are starting their journey as lawyers.