From the President

• Publication year: 2024
• Citation: Vol. 47 No. 4

From the PresidentVol. 47 No. 4 Pg. 8Wyoming Bar JournalAugust 2024

What is Annoying About Older Lawyers? Perspectives from the Younger Generation

Anna Reeves Olson is Senior Counsel in the Casper office of Long, Reimer Win-egar LLP.

I love young lawyers! They bring so much enthusiasm, new perspectives, and hope to the practice. Whenever I spend time with a passionate young lawyer, I remember all of the reasons why I entered this profession in the first place and I am inspired to work harder. Over the last year, I've been fortunate enough to be able to spend more time with young attorneys and, during that time, I've surveyed many of them about what is annoying or bothersome about working with more-established attorneys. I've learned a lot from this and have cataloged several of their comments.

1. Being impatient and unkind. Young lawyers need us to remember that they are learning, they have lots of questions and are frequently in need of guidance. When we respond to a thoughtful question with discourtesy or a condescending tone, that creates tension and could result in a younger lawyer making a mistake that could have been easily avoided.

2. Resistance to change and the technological divide...