I have previously talked about The Necessity Of Dissent, in which competing ideas are necessary to challenge the current ideas, and potentially come up with alternative ideas that may be superior. It is also important to put up a united front, as Effective Teams Outperform Effective Individuals. Benjamin Netanyahu routinely referred to the U.S. and Israel cooperation on mutual interest as “No Daylight”.
NO DAYLIGHT
Israel, the United States’ top ally in the Middle East has been instrumental for stability in the region. When Donald Trump took office, he and Netanyahu stated that there would be “No Daylight” between the two nations on economic and security matters. The results were striking: four years of relative stability and economic prosperity, culminating in the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and four Arab nations. These accords helped close the "daylight" between Israel and parts of the Arab world.
PLENTY OF DAYLIGHT: OBAMA & BIDEN
Conversely, the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden created significant “Daylight” in U.S.-Israel relations. Obama’s policies, including his support of Middle East leaders who were aligned against the United States and Israel, sowed regional chaos leading to the Arab Spring. Similarly, Biden’s criticism of Israel’s defensive actions created “Daylight”, which emboldened adversaries, leading to two military flare-ups and a prolonged multi-front war. These events underscore how divisions can destabilize alliances, and how adversaries exploit perceived “Daylight”.
UNITED DOESN’T MEAN UNIFORMITY
Unity doesn’t require uniformity. In Ancient Greece, city-states enjoyed significant autonomy but struggled to resist the powerful Persian Empire on their own. It wasn’t until Alexander the Great unified them that they successfully defeated Persia. This example highlights how a united front can achieve great strength while preserving autonomy. It is often a through line of shared ideals or goals that is used to bring about unity. These through lines can serve as the basis of a Wartime Narrative.
IMPLEMENTING A UNIFIED FRONT IN ADVOCACY
Forming a united front like Netanyahu did when implementing “No Daylight” has significant positive impact in advocacy. Lawyers often work in firms with multiple divisions and hierarchical management. Collaboration within these structures can be fraught with challenges, especially if internal discord arises. The following strategies can help created a united front in advocacy:
Empowering The Lawyers Handling the Case - Significant deference must be given to the attorneys directly handling a case. Restricting their decision-making can lead to chaotic outcomes. Lawyers need the freedom to act decisively without fear of second-guessing or undue oversight. Otherwise, they face a no-win scenario: criticized for acting without authority or for failing to act when necessary.
Backing Lawyers Over Clients - Law offices must support their lawyers in the face of challenging clients. When an office prioritizes appeasing a client over empowering the attorney, it risks allowing the client to dictate strategy. While this may temporarily satisfy the client, it often leads to suboptimal outcomes and alienation of judges or other people involved alienating everyone.
Unified Strategy - A united front among colleagues fosters confidence, consistency, and clarity in advocacy. While there may be a dissent in opinions of how to proceed they must proceed with an agreed unified strategy. If a lawyer feels uncomfortable executing a specific strategy they are not likely to be able to execute it well.
CONCLUSION
It is important to emphasize unity without sacrificing individuality or dissent. A united front can lead to stability, prosperity, and success. Lawyers must be able to implement internal dissent with external solidarity. This is often done by giving deference to the attorney handling the case, and giving them autonomy to make the important decisions.
