What lawyers can learn from actors – Ce que les comédiens puissent nous enseigner
Chapter 7 of Uta Hagen’s 1973 technical manual for the professional actor, Respect for Acting, is devoted entirely to thinking. As a theatre or cinéma fan, read this book and you may never put up with bad acting, ever again. As a lawyer, we could only wish the equivalent were available to help us stay on top of our game.
In my April, 2013, Canadian Lawyer column, Respect for Lawyering, I suggest that our profession, once respected for our prowess at thinking, might learn a thing or two from Hagen’s disciplined approach to the actor’s craft. Whether it is resisting the movement toward commoditization of legal services, or ways of enhancing public confidence in courts, earning respect for our thinking must start with approaching thought as work. Click on Hagen’s image, right, to link to the column.
~ ~ ~