About a year ago, I wrote about my trip to the morgue.  This time around, my desire to know more about the world of my clients led me to an ambulance ride-along.  It was fascinating.  I started the day off by observing a mass casualty incident training session and then waited for calls.  Now, I will say this—I was not there for the entire shift (they are pretty lengthy), so I got the chance to only ride along for one call.  During the rest of the time, the team was gracious enough to answer my never-ending questions about their craft. 

Whether I was observing the training, talking to the paramedics, or on the call, one thing that I was reminded of was the humanity of it all.  The individuals in front of me were not just names on a “piece of paper.”  They were real-life people.  As attorneys—and especially litigators—we come in after the fact.  We review all the records and hear the witness testimony of an event that happened in the past—sometimes, years ago. 

Because we come in after the fact and we simply see names in a caption, there is a risk of forgetting the humanity on both sides of the “v.”  Attorneys also sometimes have a reputation of being cold and distant people who want to take the emotions out of the equation.  Well . . . put them back in, I say.  Better yet, also add in some curiosity.  Learn who the people behind the names in the records are.  Be curious about them.  Be curious about your clients.  About the deponents.  Treat them all as the human beings that they are. 

Remembering the humanity in litigation makes it less of a job that you begrudgingly have to do to get a paycheck and more of a profession that you enjoy.  As attorneys, we are making a difference in the lives of people—not just names on a caption.  The more we remember that, then the more meaning we can find in our profession. 

Silvia A. Mansoor is the SBM YLS Ex-Officio and a health care provider advocate at Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip, PLLC.  

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