According to studies cited in a 2019 article in Business Insider, people develop first impressions of you “even before you open your mouth,” that your mere appearance “affects how trustworthy, promiscuous, and powerful people think you are.”

It’s the trustworthy part that attorneys need to pay attention to. Regardless of the strength of their case or whether the law is on their side, an attorney still must be persuasive. And, unless the audience – whether it is a judge, a panel of judges, a regulatory body, or a jury – sees you as credible, the rest will likely not matter. But what makes an attorney, or anyone for that matter, credible? Is this something you’re born with or is it something you can develop over time? Is it true, as some studies suggest, that you can change some first impressions by making some changes in how you present yourself, or are you just stuck with a less than trustworthy vibe?

Listen to my interview with attorney Jack I. Siegal, a partner with Fox Rothschild LLP in Boston, who believes we can all make positive adjustments in the nuanced practice of achieving credibility.

Jack is a seasoned trial lawyer with 20 years of experience in complex litigation, during which time he has taken cases to trial in several jurisdictions. He also provides transactional counseling for such things as executive comp agreements and mergers. Jack’s litigation practice focuses on complex commercial disputes, government investigations and white-collar defense, regulatory proceedings, and compliance across a wide range of industries, including the financial, healthcare, high-technology, government contracting, and related fields. Education: Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude; Santa Clara University, B.A., Greek and Latin, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa; University of Virginia, Graduate Study, Classics and Classical Languages, Literature, and Linguistics.

This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation. The Journal is a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, and Docket Alarm. The podcast itself is a joint effort between HB and our friends at Law Street Media. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.

Tom Hagy
Litigation Enthusiast and
Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast
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P.S. Toward the end I could barely manage my ADHD and took the conversation into a chat that ranged from TikTok clips of the attorneys in the Amber Heard / Johnny Depp trial, somewhat on point, to discussion of great drumming, which would take some crafty knots to tie that in. Jack, being good natured and a good sport, went right along with me. Also, that's me on bongos.