Winning an argument isn’t accomplished by coming up with a platitudinous blanket in which to wrap your actions.  That’s the beauty of  clichés, there’s one to cover every occasion. 

Two heads are better than one

or

Too many cooks spoil the broth

Cool right? Either way, you’re covered.  As fun as it may be to justify your choice by resort to some trite expression, it does nothing to prove your point. It’s the refuge of the ignorant. It’s a hole in the ground in which your head fits perfectly.

So what’s a young lawyer to do when trying to be cute, perky and innovative, only to get slammed by more experienced lawyers for flouting ethical considerations and making others dumber for offering her thoughts?

Repackage herself as a rebel!

I Am a Rebel . . . Is That Okay?

I have considered myself a rebel for a long time. I think of myself as someone who does what she wants, not what she’s told.

So there’s plenty of proof that I don’t live my life according to the expectations of others . . . right? Wrong. What I realized while reading The Art of Non-Conformity over the weekend, is that I do allow the expectations of others to stop me from saying, doing and even accomplishing certain things. The worst part is that some of those things are really important to me.

This is the set-up, how she’s really been trying to please others and repressing her own rebeliousness, her dreams.  Don’t dreams matter? Aren’t dreams what we live for? Everybody loves dreams.  And so she must break away from the irrational need to please the unnamed forces that repress her dreams.

This is the work that is necessary for us entrepreneurs, rebels and World Dominators to do. Think about it: the worst that could happen if you truly let go of people pleasing is that certain people won’t be pleased. Guess what? Certain people won’t be pleased no matter what you do! Therefore, there is no point in letting that stop you.

How wonderfully inspirational this would be, but for one flaw, and it’s a big one. The concern about “pleasing people” relates to low self-esteem and the need for validation that has long been a hallmark of Gen Y, but it’s a purely internal concern, immaterial to the more important question of whether what you’re doing is right or wrong, good or bad, helpful or dangerous. 

It’s almost reached the level of meme to create the impression of David versus Goliath, rebel versus conformist.  If you can’t be one, be the other. Either way, you can market yourself.  And for the self-esteem challenged, you can find validation, the brave, lone rebel bucking the forces that try to control you. Bravo!

If I was a fan of marketing, I would applaud the ability to make lemonade out of lemons.  But I’m not a fan, and disinclined to elevate bold packaging over substance. 

Aside: I feel compelled to note that this post comes from a sense of obligation rather than any desire to pile on.  I’ve purposefully not included the name of the young lawyer, though its easy enough to find, because it concerns me that I and others have directed too many words at her conduct, and it’s not about one person, per se. Unfortunately, as the envelope keeps getting pushed further and further, and as she screams as loud and often as possible for others to look at her, she invited scrutiny.  She just doesn’t like when she gets it.  If only she could limit it to the happy, admiring thoughts she desires rather than the unpleasant ones she invites.

The rebel package resonates with a lot of young lawyers. It’s a facile means of justifying one’s “outside the box” conduct, good, bad or somewhere in between. Most people adore cute little kittens. Are you a rebel if you hate them?  Are you even more of a rebel if you like to crush their cute little heads? No. You’re sick.

It’s hard to wear the torn dress of the rebel when you’re trying to use to capitalize on being a lawyer.  Being a lawyer means you accept certain constraints, foremost of which are ethics and competence.  Skirting ethics doesn’t make you a rebel; it makes you unethical. Offering less than competence legal advice doesn’t make you a rebel; it makes you incompetent. That it’s hard to be innovative while conforming to ethical and competence constraints doesn’t mean you get to ignore the latter. Be as innovative as you want, but if you’re doing so as a lawyer, then ethics and competence still constrain you. 

I like rebels. Rebels are cool.  And there’s nothing wrong with trying to package yourself as a rebel if that’s what you think will bring you fame, fortune and adoration.  If people buy the packaging, good for you. But don’t try to cast yourself as a rebel under the guise of being so bold as to validate your choices and deflect criticism of conduct that fails to adhere to the minimum requisites of being a lawyer. That’s not being a rebel. That’s just being a bad lawyer.  No platitude, no cliché, no trite phrase, no repackaging can change it.

Some innovation is good. Most won’t work, whether because it’s ineffective or because it fails to meet the demands of the profession.  Even rebels have boundaries, no matter how well you try to package yourself.  And if you don’t want to be continually subject to scrutiny, and hence the criticism that leaves you feeling the need to please others, then recognize the constraints under which lawyers function and stay within them.  Or, stop screaming to the legal world, “look at me!!!” and then whining when it does.

H/T Betsy Munnell