Hey Lawyers, Lighten Up, Fellow Attorney Advises

Trying to settle a dispute? Humor often is more effective than a threat of legal action, points out attorney James F. Haggerty in a Corporate Counsel opinion column.

He for-instances his own unsuccessful scorched-earth attempt to get his sister's security deposit repaid, as well as more highly publicized legal disputes in the news recently. And even when a litigation battle is won, adverse publicity can make the case a loser in the court of public opinion, Haggerty notes.

"It’s a lesson worth remembering," he writes, "whether as lawyer or client, the next time a real or perceived affront to your brand makes you want to strap on those legal six-guns yourself."