Climbing the Ladder: Reputation is hard to build and easy to lose

By William B. Oberts
Tribler Orpett & Meyer

When you hear the names Philip H. Corboy and Robert A. Clifford, you think of the top tier of attorneys. Those names are as synonymous to the practice of law as Mercedes and Lexus are to luxury automobiles. But their reputations did not come overnight.

Building those reputations took years of hard work at becoming skilled practitioners, while also realizing the importance of bar association activities and giving back to the community.

As a young lawyer, it is important to think about building your reputation throughout your career.

As Benjamin Franklin said, “[I]t takes many good deeds to build a reputation and only one bad one to lose it.” Which is why reputation is hard to build and easy to lose.

I confess that I watch “Celebrity Apprentice.”

On a recent episode, Piers Morgan was the project manager for the men’s team and asked Vinny Pastore to act as a “rat” and spy on the women’s team. Piers eventually ratted out Vinny, causing the women’s team to turn against him, which led to Vinny’s demise on the show. Vinny later realized that Piers’s overall objective was to eliminate him from the show.

Why am I providing an overview of “Celebrity Apprentice” in Chicago Lawyer? Good question. I believe that we can all learn several lessons about reputation from that episode.

Piers and Vinny were both strong players throughout the show and over time they earned the respect of their teammates. However, it took only one act to lose the respect they earned and the reputation they built. In the end, the men’s team lost trust in Piers and the women’s team trusted neither Piers nor Vinny.

Although there are thousands of attorneys in Chicago, it’s still a small legal community, and reputation is everything.

Reputation is not just about being a skilled practitioner. Reputation is built upon civility and trust.

As a young lawyer, it is important to think about earning the respect of your peers and the judiciary.

Civility is an important aspect of building a reputation.

You will encounter many different types of lawyers throughout your practice - some civil, some not so civil. An opposing counsel’s lack of civility may tempt you to become equally uncivil. I urge you to refrain and take the higher road.

Young lawyers are sometimes uncivil because they believe that being uncivil makes them appear tougher.

In reality, it emphasizes their status as a “young” lawyer who has yet to learn what it means to truly practice law. On the other hand, some older lawyers may act uncivilly toward younger lawyers in an effort to intimidate the younger lawyer. But this just shows the immaturity of the older lawyer.

Regardless of your years in practice, always remember that this may not be the only time that you will have a case against this practitioner, his or her law firm, or before that judge.

That’s why it is so important to practice civility - regardless of the lack of civility of the other counsel.

Trust is another vital aspect of building a reputation. Your opposing counsel must be able to trust you. Trust also must be earned before the judiciary.

Therefore, be prepared when you step before the bench and do not assert facts that you cannot support. Once you lose the trust of your opposing counsel or the judge, it’s very hard to earn it back.

Vinny learned the hard way that losing a person’s trust can lead to ultimate demise. As for Piers, he may have accomplished his objective to eliminate Vinny, but his reputation among the remaining participants is severely damaged.

Similarly, an attorney’s lack of civility or trustworthiness may serve to accomplish a specific, short-term goal, but it would be at the expense of his or her long-term reputation.

The legal community in Chicago is closely knit - people talk.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that your lack of civility or deception toward a particular attorney or judge will be an isolated incident. Your colleagues will likely hear of your conduct and it will surely affect your reputation.

You may be questioning my authority to be preaching about reputation, and you are right to do so. I may be no Mercedes at this stage of my career; however, I work on building my reputation with each case and each court appearance, and I try to be civil in the hopes of earning the respect of my opposing counsel and the judiciary.

In the end, a person’s reputation boils down to what people think of him or her. People’s opinions are based on, and affected by, a person’s conduct, trustworthiness, and even the company one keeps.

Keep this in mind every time you converse with another attorney or step into a courtroom. One misstep could lead to your professional demise.