The following ten behaviors illustrate common events in the lives of family lawyers engaged in litigation. Some occur in the courtroom. Some occur outside the courtroom but reverberate in the trial of family law issues. Many are caused by attorneys taking on the emotional condition of a client. Some are caused by our inability or unwillingness to limit our practices. Some are deliberate efforts to obtain a tactical advantage. All of them try the patience of trial courts and have a detrimental impact on the public’s perception of attorneys in general and family lawyers in particular.
We obtained the “Top Ten Problems With Courtroom Conduct” by informally surveying judges in Wake and Alamance Counties. We anticipate that these problems exist to some extent in every jurisdiction. Most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, can probably recall a case when we have engaged in one or more of these behaviors. We can probably all think of an attorney who consistently behaves in the fashion we describe. Our effort here is to call your attention to the behaviors, assemble the ethical and legal or just plain courteous considerations applicable to the behavior and hopefully leave you with some insight into how your behavior looks to the court, the parties and the public.
 | "Judge Gessner did an excellent job. The seminar worked well and I benefitted from it greatly. I like the idea of getting CLE credit this way. It is in the privacy of my office; I don't have to drive somewhere and as soon as it is finished I can continue with my practice. Thank you." (Raleigh, NC) |
| "Thank you for offering CyberCLE. It is very convenient." (Greensboro, NC) |
| "The seminar was unusually well presented and effective for my purposes. I enjoyed it tremendously, which I cannot say about very many CLE courses I have attended, or viewed in the past." (Wilmington, North Carolina) |
| "The online CLE format is extremely convenient and efficient. I would like to see a wider range of CLE topics to choose from." (New york, NY) |
| "Great Course. Valuable no matter what area of practice or employer." (Rocky Mount, NC) |
| "Excellent program. Very practically oriented." (Raleigh, NC) |
| "thanks for providing this service!" (Durham, NC) |
| "Great presentation. Animated and interesting." (Louisburg, NC) |
| "first time user. will use this resource again. thank you!" (Raleigh, NC) |
| "I'm glad to have the online CLE resource so readily available. It's very convenient and easy to use. Thank you, Sherra R. Smith" (Raleigh, North Carolina) |
| "Better than I thought it would be." (Raleigh, NC) |
| "This was my first CLE taken over the internet, and I thought it was very effective and convenient. It was great to be able to access the materials, view the slide presentation, and see/hear the speaker all at the same time. I will definitely use the resource again." (Clayton, NC) |
| "This is my first experience with CLE online. It was much more enjoyable and engaging than I thought it would be. The speaker (Judge) was excellent." (Charlotte, NC) |
| "Cyber CLE is an excellent option. I wish we could take more than 4 hours per year via online learning." (Hendersonville, NC) |
| "Judge Gessner did an outstanding job. He should speak more often and CLE's." (Raleigh, NC) |
| "This was a specific ethics section for a specific area of practice and was very good." (Charlotte, NC) |
| "Judge Gessner gave an excellent presentation." (Raleigh, NC) |
| "How convenient to be able to take it from the comfort of my home computer! Shelly Oldham, Madison, North Carolina" (Madison, NC) |
| "Judge Gessner was very good and very practical." (Charlotte, NC) |
| "Received better instruction than at a live CLE." (Marion, NC) |
| "Good presentation." (Boone, NC) |
| "Very good refresher-particularly for family law court." (Greensboro, NC) |
| "Very interesting topic." (Nashville, NC) |
| "Honorable Paul G. Gessner is down-to-earth, prepared, very informative and an excellent presenter. It was enlightening to see things from a judge`s perspective.
Not having to drive to a seminar was a definite plus.
Cindy Way, Waynesville, NC" (Waynesville, NC) |
| "Great seminar. I enjoyed being able to take the seminar from home." (Tarboro, NC) |
| "The judge touched on real-life issues that I`ve encountered in practice. It was quite helpful for him to cite the rules so that I could review them." (Greensboro, NC) |
| "The Judge was an excellent and entertaining speaker.
thanks" (Greenville, NC) |
| "This was my first experience with an online CLE. I loved it-- I am currently at home on extended maternity leave and this cyberCLE was the perfect solution for me! I will certainly use these in the future." (Pollocksville, NC) |
| "Excellent speaker, excellent content" (Winston-Salem, NC) |
| "Very enlightening practical advice." (Durham, NC) |
| "This is a great idea - I needed 1 hour of ethics credit (or else) and I didn't have to take off a day to attend a seminar I didn't want but needed. I really liked viewing in the atmosphere of my own office. The handouts downloaded nicely. I also liked only having to ppay for 1 hour vs. 7 hours.
" (Troutman, NC) |
| "very good commentary on this one ... a good 'ethics' course without too much 'holier than thou' approach" (Winston Salem, NC) |
| "very helpful to have ethics hours on cyberCLE since it is sometimes inconvenient to find a class in Waynesville area at a good time." (Arlington, VA) |
| "Judge Gessner did an excellent job. His comments were applicable to every litigator's practice.
" (Raleigh, NC) |
| "Nothing further. I really enjoyed the program." (Hillsborough, NC) |
| "Very good presentation." (Greenville, NC) |
| "Excellent speaker would enjoy practicing in front of this Judge..thank you for a great job" (MURPHY, NC) |
 | "This is the first time I have tried the Cyber CLE. It was a good experience-- I could focus on the content and saved travel time, parking costs, etc. Very convenient." (Charlotte, NC) |
| "Thanks for having these options!" (Cary, North Carolina) |
| "Judge Gessner distinguished himself with an excellent presentation." (Wilmington, NC) |
| "engaging speaker who's obviously a dedicated and competent judge. wish I could see him in action." (Winston-salem, NC) |
| "Much easier than a road trip to round out the number of CLE hours I need. Online CLE is a good idea. Thanks." (Rutherfordton, NC) |
| "helpful to have net based option" (Greensboro, NC) |
| "A convenient and easy way to obtain the hours needed to round out my CLE requirements. Would definitely use service again." (Durham, NC) |
| "my first online cle-very convenient and well done" (Fayetteville, NC) |
| "This was a good list of practical reminders for courtroom lawyers to remember. I found it helpful." (Charlotte, NC) |
| "Excellent way to obtain CLE without attending the seminar. Very easy to use." (Charlotte, NC) |
| "This is a great way to offer CLE. Thanks.
Tom McClellan" (Asheville, NC) |
| "Very easy to follow. Speaker was clear, concise and gave relevant examples. Many ethics seminars do not cover practical applications of the rules and this one did." (Lexington, Kentucky) |
| "It was very relaxed, enjoyable, and informative. Especially enjoyed hearing a district judge's take on these issues, as it was very insightful. Thank you." (Raleigh, NC) |
 | "The set-up, with the video seminar and slides was excellent! All seminars should be like this!!" (Wake Forest, NC) |
| "The perspective of judge was great approach. Judge Gessner's presentation was extremely interesting due to manner of delivery and practicality of subject matter." (Flower Mound, TX) |
| "Good guidelines for those who litigate. Suggestions apply outside a family law/district court practice as well." (Raleigh, NC) |
| "Great job!" (Raleigh, NC) |
| "This was my first experience taking a course online and I enjoyed the convenience of it. The site was much easier to naviagte than other sites I visited." (Charlotte, NC) |
