My Stoic View.
December, 2024 — Written by Suraj S. Dhillon
My Stoic View – The Principles of Gladiators At Law, PLLC
COURAGE. JUSTICE. TEMPERANCE. WISDOM.
My stoic practice propels me with energy and resilience. In achieving the daily tasks assigned to me, I can discover paths by imagination and optimize them with reasoned judgement.
– Energy and imagination make for a wonderful combination.
At the outset, attorneys earn respect but are not immediately trusted. Being seen as competent but cold may seem problematic until one considers the credibility of the communicator. Communicator credibility requires not just expertise, which can be seen as competence but also loyalty and warmth, which can best be described by a sense of trustworthiness. It all comes down to the interplay between the logical mind and the emotional heart, and the one common denominator for all forms of credibility is sincerity. As an attorney, I intend to perform in a manner that furthers the credibility of our communication. After all, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Licensed in Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, I intend to provide value to the world and for those around me. Certain philosophical truths have been engrained into my mind from deliberate practice. This information has not translated directly into knowledge but has only revealed itself through action. With my desire for continued excellence, I intend to provide value to those who I may be so grateful to serve. I intend to consider the ideas of all men and women, so long as they contribute to the common good. I intend to decide on issues one at a time, approaching everyone and every idea with empathy and an open mind.
As lawyers we must work within the situations we face, making the best of what’s in front of us and finding a way to do the right thing at the right time. Favorable dispute resolution relies on effective communication. Not everyone has an open mind to accept that differences of opinion can exist, but even if we reach different conclusions, we can still choose to treat the viewpoints of another with respect to their thought process. Navigating life and the law is mostly about managing friction. Processing at the legal level often involves a rigorous functional analysis, evaluating the benefits and consequences of different courses of action. This analysis flows through the process of information synthesis, pattern recognition, and the courage to question the status quo, so that we may generate solutions that update our world-view. The Latin phrase of “praemeditatio malorum” reminds us that the future is inherently uncertain, and that we ultimately benefit when we imagine the worst things that could happen in any given situation, because it allows us to prepare and plan for a wider variety of challenges. My task as a lawyer is to turn the problems you may be facing into opportunities, helping create the conditions for better outcomes moving forward.
Clarity of expression is the essence of legal persuasion. In order for us to persuade we must match our rhetoric to our present audience. We must be able to move people with emotion, then stabilize them with logic. The capacity to match one’s rhetoric to their audience is well-served by a sophisticated understanding of human nature, habits, desires, and emotions. Choosing the most persuasive argument for the occasion is an art, not a science. There are words when spoken in the right sequence and at the right time that can turn the tides of history. Effortless, elegant performance is often the result of a large volume of effortful, gritty practice. It’s up to the communicator to showcase their storytelling ability in a compelling verbal narrative which is wrapped in contagious emotion. People already have a propensity to believe whoever tells them the best story. That’s where the principles of stoicism need to be employed, because having a brilliant mind is one thing, but if one lacks a moral compass, it may bring more ruin than reward.
“A stoic approach to problem solving”. – This approach is foundational for any diligent practice of resolution and decision making. The stoic approach to law uses curious problem solvers who use logic to uncover a realistic win for all parties involved. Effective negotiations require more than presenting legal arguments; they involve reading emotions and responding appropriately – recognizing emotions in real time allows attorneys to respond with greater empathy & professionalism, promoting a more mindful and balanced approach to conflict resolution. Mindfulness involves cultivating a moment-to moment awareness of one’s emotions, thoughts and surroundings without judgement. By fostering nonjudgmental awareness and equanimity, mindfulness allows us legal practitioners to shift from automatic responses to deliberate thoughtful action, which promotes clarity and reduces emotionally driven mistakes. This emotional stewardship is essential for achieving meaningful resolutions, as unresolved emotions can disrupt even the most carefully planned legal strategies. Attorneys are more than legal advocates, they are navigators of human emotion, tasked with guiding clients through a potentially turbulent process. We're hired to deal with difficult circumstances for disagreeable people and we must acknowledge that courtesy and an even-tempered approach to things work better than retaliation. It’s about being cautious and daring at the same time. It’s hoping for the best but planning for the worst. It’s about subjecting every difficult choice, problem, or opportunity we face to a rigorous analysis, working to tilt the odds in our favor.
Some say the whole point of philosophy is to direct a person towards doing what is right. Stoicism is designed to be a daily practice, part of our daily routines. It’s not a philosophy you read once and magically understand at the soul-level. No, it’s a lifelong pursuit that requires diligence, repetition, and concentration. To put simply, stoicism has allowed me to better acknowledge the realities of life. But when speaking more broadly, this school of thought has required me to continuously edit my thoughts and to upgrade and expand my world-view. This daily practice challenges me and helps guide my desire to improve practically in the real world. I must remind myself that a stoic acts respectfully but does not demand respect or special treatment from anyone, it's a delicate balance of alternating between confidence and humility. We must all cultivate something that anchors us in our understanding of the world, despite the changes that we will inevitably continue having to grapple with, and at an increasingly higher pace. The point of this philosophy serves not only to better my life, but by extension it allows me the privilege of bettering the lives of those around me. I believe the fruits of this life are the acts we do for the common good, therefore it is an absolute privilege for me to practice law and to wrestle with reason for a living.
My vision for Gladiators At Law, PLLC is to build a team of ferocious yet pragmatic problem solvers. At a time when the truest form of justice is within our control, I intend to create a community of like-minded individuals who believe in a set of virtuous universal truths. Creating a space where philosophy merges naturally with daily life. – In practice that means we must be driven toward a goal by a common energy. As Gladiators in service of our clients we must be resilient and look forward to the obstacles which may come our way and to further be fueled by imagination and capable of reasoned judgment. – I believe that a set of values are only as valuable as the people willing to give them value, and as guardians of integrity we must take action, by putting that integrity to work in the real world. As lawyers, the majority of our time will be aimed at flowing a resource in the direction of our clients, or to prevent the possibility of a resource flowing away from our clients. With regard to the clients we represent, they will seek to engage with us because of the principles we stand for and which we embody. I aim to create a community of like-minded individuals, with the intention that when called upon, the members of this Firm are best able to help people get to where they hope to be.
– Calmly. Courageously. With the common good in mind.
