had to be agile to react to information or arguments that we may not have considered. We have had to answer questions that twisted our words, or address case law that wasn’t on point, and at the same time stay focused on our case or opinions.
The biggest thing about taking a punch is your ego reacts and there’s no better spiritual lesson than trying to not pay attention to your ego’s reaction.” – David O. Russell
These situations, like the boxer’s 10 or 12 rounds in the ring, require stamina and mental toughness, self-discipline and patience – skills you can only learn by not being afraid to get into the “ring” and experience the “fight.”
Respect Your Opponent
In boxing you create a strategy to beat each new opponent, it’s just like chess. – Lennox Lewis
Respect is another key to success in the ring and in the courtroom. Respect for the court, respect for your client, and respect for opposing counsel and their experts. You may not agree with them, but if you become over confident in your position, your capabilities or experience, you could sabotage yourself.
Whether you are talking about boxing, chess, soccer or baseball, those who excel in their craft respect their opponents and spend hours analyzing their opponent’s performance to identify strengths, weaknesses and patterns. Repeated patterns of movement such as dropping the glove before a punch and blinking of the eyes or clearing the throat before bluffing in poker are called “tells.” Those who excel also know their opponents are analyzing them.
You may not have the opportunity to view tape of the opposing attorney or expert witness but you can get a feel for style, direction and focus from communications, filings and reports. You can also glean certain information during a deposition or trial by paying attention to tone, cadence and mannerisms.
In our business, you may not have all the information you would like or new information may come to light. You need to know when to use the information you have, how to react to a change in strategy or when it may be appropriate to change your own strategy. In boxing, you need to know when to hold back, when to attack, when to counter-punch and when to slip or duck. These decisions, made in a split second are a result of respecting the opponent, identifying his/her patterns and strategy and either sticking to, or modifying, your own strategy as the situation unfolds.
… in the end, it is about the mental preparation: boxing is a chess game. You have to be skilled enough and have trained hard enough to know how many different ways you can counterattack in any situation, at any moment.” – Jimmy Smits
Listening to Your Corner
Once that bell rings you’re on your own. It’s just you and the other guy. – Joe Louis
Finally, although you are on your own either asking or answering questions in a