[00:00:00]
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 make the practice of law fun. Now today we’re going to take a look at the importance of practicing law with timing and precision.
[00:01:00]
Scott Benton: Today, in order to help assist your overall use of the success cycle, which is what we talk about on this podcast, in order to help you better understand the actual practice of law, a subject that’s not taught in law school, we’re going to talk about practicing law with timing and precision.
In the world of law, timing and precision aren’t just important, they’re literally everything. The way you handle deadlines, file documents, and respond to court orders can set the overall tone for your entire case.
If you miss a deadline, you might lose your edge or a critical opportunity. File a document with errors, and you could undermine the basis of your own legal argument. Timing and precision matter so much and will affect the overall development of your case’s to do [00:02:00] list, as well as the delivery of the legal services that you perform, that we want to dig much, much deeper into how you can master these two very important skills.
So let’s start with timing. Every case you work on will have a series of deadlines. Some of those deadlines are set by the court, some of those deadlines are set by your client, and some of those deadlines are set by yourself. Meeting these deadlines isn’t just about being organized, it’s about maintaining credibility with the court and with your clients.
And while meeting all of the deadlines is critical and why the practice of law can become so stressful, the court imposed deadlines are probably the most critical, and they’re deadlines that you definitely don’t want to miss since the court operates on a very strict schedule.
Missing a court deadline can have serious consequences for your case and for your client, not to mention your own reputation and the reputation of your firm. Missing a court imposed deadline could result in your motion being denied, or evidence being [00:03:00] excluded, or even the entire case getting dismissed. So, you can see how important it is to never miss a court deadline.
And beyond the deadlines imposed upon you by the court, there’s also an element of deadlines or maybe a better word for it is an element of strategic timing that goes along with your case and uses more of an intuitive sense that you develop since there’s really no due date that’s given. For instance, you need to know when to file a motion or when to push for a hearing.
As you go deeper and deeper into the area of timing, you’ll have a better sense for when to delay a proceeding, which can be just as important as the content in your legal argument. Timing will become a tool that you use to put pressure on the opposing side, and if it’s done right, it gives you a tactical advantage, such as giving your client time to prepare certain documents or to collect evidence.
Beyond timing, whether you’ve got a court imposed deadline or just knowing when to file a motion. You’re also going to get into the importance of precision. [00:04:00] Now this is where extreme attention to detail comes into play and where every single detail matters. In legal practice every document you file, every argument you make, and every piece of evidence needs to be meticulously prepared.
One mistake could have significant consequences. A small error in filing, such as referencing the wrong case law or maybe misquoting a statute, can give the opposing side an opening that they need to challenge your entire case. So you want to double check, even triple check, that your facts, your citations, and your arguments are clear and concise. Extreme attention to detail not only helps you take charge of your case, but it also demonstrates your high level of professionalism and competence to the court, the opposing counsel, and to your client. Okay, so you’ve met the deadline and you triple check your document and wouldn’t you know it, there’s still something wrong after you submitted [00:05:00] it and the document is kicked back to you for corrections.
So technically, you’ve missed the deadline. Legal documentation, especially because all courthouses are different, can be really complicated sometimes, and it’s why we want to check with that specific courthouse clerk before submitting anything. The key here is to not panic and to act quickly. Now you demonstrated your intentions, you submitted the document on time, you carefully reviewed your work, and there were still unforeseen issues, but that doesn’t mean that you’re down and out.
To recover from essentially missing a deadline, you want to first acknowledge any mistakes or omissions and you want to take full responsibility and then you want to immediately take steps to make all the necessary changes. The key is to get this done fast and to be as transparent as possible until the filing is accepted by the court.
Now there may be some extra steps involved that you can take, such as filing a motion to submit the document late, but [00:06:00] first check with the courthouse clerk and ask about any potential additional steps that they might recommend. In this kind of situation, whatever you need to do to correct those errors you want to execute on, regardless of how complicated it might be to accomplish.
Remember, as an attorney, you’re practicing law with excellent timing and impeccable precision. And by mastering timing and precision, not only will you improve your chances of winning your cases, but you’ll also build a reputation for reliability and excellence. When you get both of those right, you’re not just practicing law, you’re practicing law at the highest possible level.
I’m Scott Benton. I’m the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast. Thanks so much for dropping by and spending some time with us on this 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 2, courtroom.
com where you can send us a message to keep in touch with us. Or even inquire about our seasonal associate programs we have available for law school students. You [00:07:00] can come and work with us. And as always, don’t forget to like, share, 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.
