Aaiieeyah! Black belt barristers build courtroom attitude.There are a lot of theories on how to build workplace camaraderie ca·ma·ra·der·ie n. Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship. [French, from camarade, comrade, from Old French, roommate; see comrade. . Steven Manning, head of Manning & Marder Kass Ellrod Ramirez LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol , subscribes to one that's unique. "The best personal bonds are created by near-death experiences near-death experience, phenomenon reported by some people who have been clinically dead, then returned to life. Descriptions of the experience differ slightly in detail from person to person, but usually share some basic elements: a feeling of being outside one's ," Manning said. "Soldiers in a war come from different backgrounds. But when they're together in a foxhole dodging bullets, they're brothers and they're bonded for life." Manning believes that forcing his lawyers to face their fears in scary situations translates into the courtroom. So when they're faced with an unnerving un·nerve tr.v. un·nerved, un·nerv·ing, un·nerves 1. To deprive of fortitude, strength, or firmness of purpose. 2. To make nervous or upset. judge, opposing counsel or a difficult case they'll be able to go the distance. "Unfortunately I can't shoot at them," he said, "but I do the best I can to create near-death experiences." Instead, they practice karate karate: see martial arts. karate Martial art in which an attacker is disabled by crippling kicks and punches. Emphasis is on concentration of as much of the body's power as possible at the point and instant of impact. and beat each other up. When Manning started the firm in 1994, his partner, Tony Ellrod, was a third-degree black belt. Now he's a fifth-degree black belt with a red and white belt, the highest-level black belt. The partners decided to do karate together and hold classes for their attorneys during the week. They now have five black belts, four green belts and three yellow belts at the firm. That's 12 people who can litigate and break boards with their bare hands. "Attorneys make great students," said Ellrod, who also teaches black belt classes on the weekends. "Attorneys by nature are somewhat combative com·bat·ive adj. Eager or disposed to fight; belligerent. See Synonyms at argumentative. com·bat  ive·ly adv. , disciplined and are hard working." For years, Manning insisted that anyone who wanted to make partner had to jump out of a plane with him, and he held an annual motorcycle retreat in Baja. That stopped in 2001. "I was just breaking too many bones," he said. "And most of the wives pretty much said 'That's enough.'" |
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