[roybean]

I just do not understand how attorneys can get up in court and lie their behinds off and think nothing of it???

From their point of view, no matter how much evidence you have, no matter how dead to right you have them they can stand up in court and tell a bald faced lie.

I tell you one thing though, I know that my suspiscions are supported now because I really do sense the attorney is worried.

[Qtip]

Go get em!!!

[centex]

The good ones can argue ANY set of facts and could also turn around and argue the other side of the equation. Your opponent does not appear to be one of them though since they don't seem to have that Sun-Tzu thing going for them.

[roybean]

Originally Posted by centex

The good ones can argue ANY set of facts and could also turn around and argue the other side of the equation. Your opponent does not appear to be one of them though since they don't seem to have that Sun-Tzu thing going for them.

You are so right and one of my professors taught me this a long time ago. He said that you should always be able to argue both sides of any argument because that way you know what to expect and can argue your side better. However, there comes a time when you have to also know how to wheel and deal.

[Hedwig]

You do need to know how to understand both sides.

In one of my classes, the first night, the professor talked about this. He said if you're conservative, start listening to NPR and reading the papers with a liberal slant. If you're liberal, listen to Rush Limbaugh. You need to know what the other side is saying and what their arguments are so that you can intelligently counter them.

One girl called that stupid (not to his face, but during break). During that whole course, every time she made an argument, he asked her to back it up. She never could, and was often refuted by facts, because she didn't want to believe that the facts might be contrary to what she believed. If she had looked at the facts, she might have found a way to say something like "yes, but unemployment figures only count those who file for unemployment, and XYZ shows that there are (put in number) of people who haven't filed or can't draw it for some reason."

Now she has actual facts to argue.

My father once worked for a man who loved to do this type of thing. He wasn't an educated man, but he paid attention to things that were going on. He'd go down to the local hangout and start an argument. As people argued with him, he'd change sides and get others involved. Then he'd leave and let them argue it out.

[ilovemydogs]

Your Father was a wise man. : )
ILMD

[centex]

After having had Frank Caliendo in the studio the past few days, I absolutely cannot read the subject line without it being in an Al Pacino voice in my mind

C'mon...you know that now that I have mentioned it...everyone reading this is doing Pacino impressions and will never view this thread in the same way again...

[hannah]

DD was a collegiate debater. A few years back she was ranked 3rd in the nation. She said that you had to know both sides in order to debate and win (as well as talk fast!) She told me after she graduated that she learned a lot of how to be effective from me. Now I'm not sure if I ever "won" an argument with her.

BTW - Most college debate teams are made up of either business majors or law students...

[Hedwig]

Well, who else would it be? Engineers don't learn much English, it seems. I spend a lot of time correcting their writing.

[roybean]

I have a friend (like someone else I know) who was always talking about things she didn't know about.

Every pay day we'd get together and have dinner and drinks. One week she got on contact lenses; you know telling me how they should be worn and how not to care for the lenses. Naturally, I was feeling my package since we'd been drinking and I couldn't hold back.
I said, "Have you ever worn contacts?" NO

Know anyone who wears contacts? No

Ever worked in a eye doctor's office? NO

Then how do you know about so much about contact lenses?
She and I were friends for years and she never knew that I wear contact lenses and have worn them since I was 16. There is maybe one or two brands on the market that I have not worn. I can put them in the dark and have done this at the movies when one popped out.

I listened to her for about 30 minutes telling me about contact lenses and then told her I WEAR CONTACTS and none of what you just is right!
She said to me afterwards, "Why didn't you tell me you wore contacts; you make me look like a fool?" My response, "How did I make you look like a fool."

She got on Malcolm X one night and I said, "Tell me about Malcolm X." She couldn't answer because she knew nothing about him other than what some other uninformed person told her.

It goes to show that some folks don't know how to argue any side of the story; they just regurgitate incorrect information and continue to spread ignorance.

[Hedwig]

How true!