Vol. 34, No. 4, 16. My Perspective.

• Author: by Gregory C. Dyekman Chair, Wyoming State Bar Law Scliool Liaison Committee

Wyoming Bar Journal

2011.

Vol. 34, No. 4, 16.

My Perspective

Wyoming LawyerIssue: August, 2011My Perspectiveby Gregory C. Dyekman Chair, Wyoming State Bar Law Scliool Liaison CommitteeStill Proud to Be a Wyoming Lawyer

I still remember being sworn into the State Bar of Wyoming and how thrilling that day was. I had made a decision to stay in Wyoming for law school and to practice law based on many conversations with Wyoming judges and lawyers. They uniformly praised the "style" of practice in Wyoming and assured me that it made the practice of law more enjoyable and less stressful. At the time, I had little perspective on civility as it related to the practice of law. Now, 31 years later, I am the grey-haired lawyer who tells young law students about the benefit of practicing law "the Wyoming way."

Since this issue of the Wyoming Lawyer is focused on issues of admission to the Wyoming State Bar, I thought it appropriate to advocate in the strongest possible way that every Wyoming practitioner and judge continue to encourage the high level of civility that typifies Wyoming lawyers. In doing so, I recognize that civility is in the eye of the beholder and that some lawyers' personalities make it more difficult for them to be perceived by others as "civil." Nevertheless, having seen for decades the advantages to clients and their lawyers of a problem solving approach to practicing law, rather than a trouble-making approach, I want to use this bully pulpit to ask that we all rekindle our commitment to civility in the practice of law and mentor every lawyer, young or otherwise, admitted to the Wyoming State Bar, in the basic habits of civility.

It has often been said of Wyoming lawyers that we can battle one another to the death in court, then have a beer together when the day is done. The story is probably not literally as true as it was when I first heard it decades ago, but I believe most Wyoming judges and lawyers cherish their friendships with the majority of the people they work with, including lawyers, clerks, court reporters and others who participate in the judicial process. We all need to...