Incivility in Legal Writing Can Be Costly to Client and to Attorney

The adversary system\u27s pressures can strain the tone and tenor of a lawyer\u27s oral speech, but the strain on civility can be especially great when lawyers write. Words on paper arrive without the facial expression, tone of voice, body language, and contemporaneous opportunity for explanation that can soothe face-to-face communication. Writing appears cold on the page, dependent not necessarily on what the writer intends or implies, but on what readers infer. This article is in three parts. Part I describes two manifestations of incivility, a lawyer\u27s written derision of an opponent, and a lawyer\u27s written disrespect of the court. Part II describes how either manifestation can weaken the client\u27s cause. Part III describes how incivility in writing can also compromise both the lawyer\u27s own personal enrichment and the lawyer\u27s professional standing among the bench and bar