Unlike the inquisitorial systems found in Europe, American jurisprudence is based on adversarial litigation and “winning.” This adversarial system fosters an environment that has led to incivility amongst lawyers, their clients, and tribunals. Incivility has grown to be an epidemic amongst lawyers, and has caused state and national bar associations to acknowledge and mitigate it. Civility is a necessary quality of my professional identity for the following reasons. First, I value productive, long-term relationships over short-term “wins.” I believe that being cordial with opposing counsel will benefit myself and my client in the future when I need a favor, such as a continuance. Second, my goal as a lawyer is to solve problems, not create new
