Bedside Manor For Lawyers?
I know it has been a while since I attended law school, but I do not remember any class that deal with bedside manor for attorneys. The only class that discussed how a lawyer and a client should interact was my professional responsibility class that talked about the different ways a lawyer can lose their license. None of the legal jobs that I had after law school had any training in this area either. As a prosecutor for Harris County I was not given much instruction when talking to victims of a case. There are standard questions that a prosecutor must ask a victim like if there is any restitution, injuries, and what punishment they are seeking, but for the most part we were left to own devices.
A criminal case involves many intimate personal issues. The whole criminal justice process makes a person feel bad just by being charged. That last thing you want is a lawyer who is judgmental, makes you feel stupid or lowly because of your arrest. Most of us forget the "counselor" portion in our titles. I have come to realize that a compassionate attorney is better suited to understand their client's needs. Lawyers have been taught to know the law, be prepared, and most of all win since law school. The either legal field could use an education in bedside manor.