Membership in the Academy is by invitation only and limited to 250 attorneys. Membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the profession.

Whitfield & Eddy Member John Fatino and Associate Jennifer L. Smith were recently published in the Fourth Quarter 2012 edition of The Journal of Transportation law, Logistics and Policy.  The article explores the interaction between the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (a specific set of federal regulations which govern commercial motor vehicle drivers in the United States).  The article summarizes the case law decided before various federal circuit courts.  It is the editorial policy of the Journal to publish thoughtful articles related to transportation and supply chain management.

By Kevin M. Reynolds, Member Attorney

Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed movie “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field has renewed interest in our 16th President.  The movie was based largely on the book “Team of Rivals” written by historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin.  Goodwin recently was the keynote speaker at the Greater Des Moines Partnerships’ Annual Dinner.

At a recent DRI meeting of state and local defense leaders, Gene Griessman, Ph.D. spoke on the language of leadership and  communication.  His presentation was entitled:  “Building Your Vocabulary.”  Dr. Griessman portrayed Abraham Lincoln and talked as though he was Lincoln sharing stories, jokes, and valuable information.  Lincoln was a master communicator.  Dr. Greismann highlighted the following life lessons:

1. Avoid turning opponents into enemies by avoiding turning arguments in
quarrels. Turn the enemy into your friend. This can be done by the way
you approach them with argument rather than quarrels.

2. If you want your career to go to a higher level, surround yourself with
people who think differently so they can challenge you.

3. Work on your communication skills by studying great speeches and
letters. America is a great country that gives all people a chance to
succeed who may never have had one elsewhere.

Dr. Griessman also suggested the following ways to better communicate:

1. Speak with your eyes by lingering your eyes on one person for five beats
so that it becomes a conversation and then other people or jurors will be
listening to you.

2. Use your mind more by taking time to think about what your opponent is
going to say rather than what you are going to say in opening or closing
arguments.

3. Speak from your heart. If you get the audience to like you, your job is
80% finished.
4. Use emotion and information for communication. Use emotion and logic
as communication for lawyers.

5. Create a folder full of power phrases to communicate more effectively
such as:

i. “Can I give you another point of view?”
ii. “I will argue with you all day but won’t quarrel with you.”
iii. “If I could add to what was just said …”
iv. When conducting negotiations, ask the opposing party “Can you do
any better?”
v. When dealing with a problem situation, ask “What can I do to make this
right?”

Dr. Griessman quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson with the following advice:

a. Laugh often and much.
b. Win the respect of intelligent people.
c. Obtain the love of children.
d. Appreciate beauty.
e. Look for the best in others.
f. Leave the world a little bit better.
g. Remember to know one soul will breathe easier because you have lived.

The following information was passed on to assist us as being better leaders
and to give people reasons to follow us as leaders:

a. To receive the trust of others, we must say what we want them to do or
what we will do and do it. People will trust us more if we are engaged with
them.
b. We need to create stability in our organization to get the job done better
and faster.
c. We need to have compassion on those we work with by giving them
feedback and telling people where they stand.
d. We need to hope that things will be better based on our actions.
e. We need to invest in the next generation to insure that our organization
continues in existence and to be an effective organization.
f. We need to give people an opportunity to shine and then let them know
we appreciate what they are doing for us.
g. As leaders, we need to create an environment that is open to suggestion and different thinking; to take calculated risk; to welcome innovation; to think about and talk about problems, respect and welcome ideas.
h. Our organization needs to have a vision and to communicate that vision with others in our organization.