Advice from a Lawyer
Not the legal kind. A different type of advice.
We often think about the intersection between our work in the world and our existence in the world because we think they are related.
As much as possible, as partners running a law firm (on this small rock spinning in space), we try to be aware of what we are putting out there as we handle our cases, with the same mindfulness that we do for our life at large. Sometimes we lose this intention and get distracted or frustrated, as human beings do, but we try and give this much attention.
Here are some wisdoms that we have come to know, that we see translate from life to law and back again: for both us and for our clients that we work with. Universally, these laws apply as follows:
- Give it time. Apart from situations where there is an actual urgency, like court hearings and filing deadlines, there usually IS no urgency even though it can really feel like it. But in our experience, most situations (especially the ones that feel the worst, that are emotional, where your blood is boiling, or you are teeming with nerves, benefit from time, space and rest. To let a sticky or heated situation cool before taking action is usually always beneficial to all. We know very well that intense urgent feeling, and the urge to take action RIGHT NOW, especially when we feel strongly about a certain outcome, but we find over and over again that time and space is an all-healing balm. Giving things time can be far more productive and beneficial than taking quick action and shooting from the hip before you really know what’s what.
… - Things tend to go better when you approach a situation or a person with a soft heart. Sometimes this can be as simple as taking one moment to simply relax within your own body. A moment of softening can grow into a reverberating energy totally relaxes a tense situation. Whether your softening is felt by people around you and has a relaxing effect on them, or whether the relaxing within yourself shifts your perspective on the world around you, who cares? The effect is the same. We highly recommend trying this!
… - Be honest. This one is so incredibly simple, but why is it so dang difficult in our society? Most of us are taught from a young age by society how to present ourselves in a certain way that is the most acceptable to others, even if it isn’t totally true, and this way of moving around the world becomes so second nature and habitual that as adults we hardly can see we are doing it anymore. On our part, we are still examining what it means to be completely honest in our life and work. We think even just about the correspondence we have in a day: do we mean everything we say? When we examine our words, do they contain an attempt to manipulate a person or situation, or do we use false cheerfulness, or subtle hints of passive aggressiveness? It’s a real doozy to take a look at this and see how we are not totally honest as we go about our day even in the smallest ways. But truthfulness is so powerful and honesty (even if it stings a bit coming out) is clarifying.
Lauren Dayani is lead personal injury attorney at Dayani Law Firm. She offers free consultations and speaks clearly and honestly about your options after a car accident. Send her a message below or call directly for a consult at (206) 777-5627