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Scott Benton: Hey, everyone. Scott Benton here. How are you? I’m the host of the classroom 2 courtroom podcast where we help you easily transition from a law school student into your professional career as an attorney and where we happen to make the practice of law fun around here.
And today we’re going to take a look at maintaining flexibility and adaptability In your legal practice.
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Scott Benton: Today, in order to help assist your overall use of the success cycle, which is what we talk about on this podcast, which helps you learn and perfect the actual practice of law, which is a subject not taught in law school, by the way, we’re going to take a look at maintaining flexibility and adaptability in your legal practice.
Flexibility is crucial in legal practice because the legal landscape is constantly shifting and evolving.
Now those shifts could be found in new legislation, for example, or unexpected court rulings, or changes in a client’s circumstances. Now in law, nothing ever remains static or fixed, and it’s one reason why you need to commit yourself to becoming a lifelong student since things can change very, very rapidly.
Now taking a rigid [00:02:00] posture in your approach can lead to missed opportunities and it can inspire case strategies that just don’t work. So you want to make sure that you’re committing yourself to becoming a lifelong student.
As an example, imagine you’re deep into preparing a case strategy based on certain assumptions, but then you find out a key piece of evidence or a new witness has come along that altered the dynamics of the case. So you need to pivot, but if you’re not flexible, then you’re going to struggle to adjust your case strategy effectively.
If you can adapt quickly, on the other hand, you’re going to be in a much better position to turn the situation around to your advantage. That means that you need to learn to become adaptable. Adaptability, which is actually different from flexibility, focuses on your ability to respond when new information comes in. Now, adaptability is much more about being proactive rather than reactive. Which means that you want to prepare for potential changes in advance [00:03:00] so that you can get in front of any pivots.
And then make them when they become necessary.
Pivoting probably means that you’re going to throw out the to do list that you had on that case. You’re going to replace it with a new one. And it definitely means that you’re going to be performing an entirely new set of legal services. in order to make all the changes necessary to update your case strategy.
Let’s say you’re working on a high stakes litigation matter and the opposing counsel, file a new motion, or maybe they introduce unexpected evidence, an adaptable attorney is going to reassess their strategy. They’re going to consider the implications of the new developments, and they’re going to adjust their approach accordingly.
Now this might mean taking some time to gather additional evidence and revise your legal arguments, or even negotiate a settlement in the meantime.
So that means you need to know how to be adaptable. And make sure you’re always keeping yourself ahead of the game in case you need to make a sudden [00:04:00] pivot. So So then naturally the question becomes, okay, fine, then how do you become more flexible? How do you become more adaptable?
First, You want to stay informed about the latest developments in the law and on your case. You want to keep your finger on the pulse of the new case law updates on cases that are similar to the one that you’re working on. You also want to be aware of changes in legislation and you want to adjust your case strategies accordingly.
One of the traps that you can get caught in after reading cases that are, I don’t know, let’s say 10 years old, are that you start using those old strategies that you’re not actually able to utilize any longer because the laws changed five years ago. So you really don’t want to skip that important step where you verify the law hasn’t changed in the meantime and that you can still use that same case strategy.
You also want to make sure you’re embracing continuous learning, which we talk about a lot on this podcast. Now, as the [00:05:00] legal field is undergoing changes and revisions all the time, that means that you want to stay on top of current events in the legal space, which means attending seminars. It means participating in workshops and engaging in professional development opportunities.
So this might include taking several classes through the bar, if only to satisfy your CLE requirements. That way you remain at the forefront of those changes and you also build a strong support network by meeting other people at those events. So whenever a new change comes along, you’ll have plenty of knowledgeable sources that you can go to and check for clarification.
Lastly, you also want to develop a flexible mindset, which is one that welcomes change and unexpected pivots and even anticipates them. A positive outlook can also help in maintaining a flexible mindset because whatever comes along, you welcome it like a personal challenge.
One benefit of flexibility and [00:06:00] adaptability is that it helps maintain your momentum. So when it comes to working on your cases, you want to keep them from slowing down or stalling. If you’ve trained yourself to have a flexible and adaptable mindset, then whatever obstacles show up and come along, you’ll immediately embrace them as a personal challenge, and you’ll pivot to keep the case moving.
In fact, you’ll probably create even more momentum than you had before the pivot if you start getting really good at this.
Then, if a case takes an unexpected turn and your original strategy is no longer viable, You’ll reassess the new circumstances and you’ll adapt and implement a new strategy. So this ability will give you a significant strategic edge the more that you respond effectively whenever a new development comes in.
Keep in mind that being adaptable doesn’t mean abandoning your principles or your expertise.
It means applying them in a way that’s responsive to the ever changing legal landscape. I’m Scott Benton. I’m the host of Classroom 2 Courtroom. Thank you so [00:07:00] much for joining me on this podcast and don’t forget to stay flexible and stay adaptable and I’ll see in the next episode.
If you like this podcast and you’d like to get more information about us, you can always go to our website at classroom2courtroom. com. That’s classroom, the number two, courtroom. com, where you can send us a message, you keep in touch, or you can even inquire about our seasonal associate programs we have available for law school students.
You can come and work with us.
And as always, don’t forget to share, like, and subscribe to stay on top of all of our newest episodes. And until next time, we hope you’ll join us in making the world a better place. One client at a time.
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