Ed.
note:
Welcome
to
our
daily
feature,
Quote
of
the
Day.
It
is
common
to
think
that
good
lawyers
stand
out
in
a
crowd.
In
fact,
the
sad
truth
is
that
most
lawyers
are
a
commodity
item,
and
in
order
to
stand
out,
we
need
to
be
different.
My
greatest
revelation,
as
a
result
of
my
decade
of
participating
as
a
clown
was
that
I
began
to
stand
out
—
not
only
for
my
legal
ability
or
professionalism,
but
because
I
was
a
clown.
When
I
was
introduced
at
legal
and
social
gatherings,
people
would
say,
“He
is
a
lawyer,
but
guess
what?
He
is
also
a
clown.”
Word
of
mouth
began
to
spread,
and
I
was
eventually featured
on
a
PBS
documentary
depicting
the
behind-the-scenes,
yearlong
preparation
to
be
in
the
parade.
After
that, even
in
serious
judicial
proceedings
when
I
had
made
a
presentation
to
the
court,
I
would
hear
the
refrain
from
the
judge,
“Mr.
Tatelbaum,
you’re
not
clowning
around
are
you?”
This
would,
on
occasion,
unnerve
a
client
in
the
courtroom
who
was
unaware
of
my
extracurricular
activity.
—
Charles
M.
Tatelbaum,
a
director
at Tripp
Scott,
in
an
essay
published
at
Law360,
as
part
of
a
series
where
attorneys
explain
how
their
“unusual
extracurricular
activities”
have
helped
them
in
their
careers.
In
addition
to
his
legal
career,
Tatelbaum
works
as
a
clown
on
a
volunteer
basis
during
the
Macy’s
Thanksgiving
Day
Parade
each
year.
He
says
that
performing
as
a
clown
has
enhanced
his
communication
skills,
even
though,
“[t]o
[his]
sometimes
chagrin,
[he
is]
better
known
as
‘Chuckles
the
Clown’
than
as
Charles
Tatelbaum
the
attorney.”
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.