The Future of “The Toledo Way” Of Practicing Law
The “Toledo Way” of practicing law has made the Toledo legal community very unique and proud. In essence, it is practicing the golden rule of treating our opponent the way we would like to be treated. It is balancing doing the right thing of zealous representation of the client by being professional and displaying common courtesy at the same time. It has made practicing law in Toledo a fantastic experience that is distinctly different than the cutthroat battles in other communities. You can be an advocate while at the same time being a good caring person.
I discussed the current status of “The Toledo Way” with attorney Chris Parker. Chris has unique qualifications to discuss this issue. He started as a Civil Bailiff for Judges Peter Handwork and Robert Christiansen in the years 1980-1984 while attending UT Law’s night division. Over the last 40 years, he has practiced in Toledo in a comprehensive general practice. He also has held a huge number of offices in the Toledo Bar Association. Everything from Trustee, Head of the Grievance Committee, and President in 2003-2004. He has over 2 pages on his CV, detailing much of his bar association involvement. His work ethic and common sense are respected by the entire legal community.
Chris points out that “The Toledo Way” was taught to him by Judges, fellow lawyers, mentors, and members of the bar association. It promoted professionalism and was in the best interest of individual attorneys and their clients. Cases can be solved in an adult manner where “mutual solutions” are more important than ego, billing hours, and winning at all costs.
The “Toledo Way” has been impacted by COVID. This may be the result of less in-person interaction, including depositions, pretrials, mediations, and bar association events. More young attorneys work remotely and more communication is by email, rather than phone or in person. Mentoring was done in the past “in person.” It is much easier to build a community of respect and comradery when you see each other in person. You can develop a relationship where you personally know your opponent, talk about common interests, and see each other as a real live person. Respect for others is made easier by personal contact. It is much easier to be unpleasant and nasty when the other person is someone you don’t really know.
There are no easy answers on how we can improve this situation. Phone pretrials and Zoom depositions make our lives much easier. Working remotely helps with work-life balance. However, personal relationships, professionalism, and mentoring are much more effective in person. The purpose of this article is to just raise the issue and force us to think of how we can make this Toledo tradition continue and be better than ever.
