Making a Legal Career Blossom

All of the flowers of tomorrow are in today’s seeds.

It is an old Indian proverb I believe to be still quite profound — at least, it was to me as I reflected on those words.

They passed through my mind at a time when I came upon a milestone of sorts. In May, I marked my fifth anniversary of practicing law.

Some days I feel like I just graduated law school and got sworn in; other days I feel like I’ve been at it for a very long time.

I think reflection is a good thing at any time, but since I have now reached a certain milestone in my professional career, I figured it was time to spell out a few things I have learned along this short road.

Looking back, if someone had sat me down and shared the things they they thought were important, I hope I would have listened — but knowing how people operate, I think it would have gone in one ear and out the other.

I’m also writing this to remind myself of things I never want to forget as long as I practice. If someone out there takes something from my words, then all the better.

• We live in a field and world where technology has made it possible for nearly instantaneous communication and response.

This is good and bad. Not being a product of a household where cable TV or a computer were available growing up, I enjoyed living without the added pressures the digital-native generation faces today. Now everyone and everything is connected. If you are not on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, you basically don’t exist.

Client expectations have dramatically shifted as a result. Clients expect their attorneys to have a vast Web presence.

And the way we communicate with our clients has changed.

Can’t meet face-to-face in your office or talk on the phone? Not a problem. With the advent of Skype and other similar applications, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your office or home to meet clients.

E-mail communications have skyrocketed, becoming the primary mode of client communication. The positive outcome of that communication method is that we can now respond quickly if there is something that requires immediate attention.

The downside is expectations have now been transformed. If there is no immediate response to the communication, then you can be perceived as not doing your job or being diligent.

We have come a long way from using the old U.S. Postal Service to communicate. Back when letters were mailed, a response would be expected in a few days or a week. Now, a response should be made at or near the time you received an e-mail.

I am not criticizing or placing judgment on either method — I’ve just noticed since I began working in the professional world 10 years ago that the way in which lawyers and clients communicate is now vastly different. We all must find a way that works for us when setting expectations and boundaries with our respective clients.

• Most of us work in an adversarial system — that’s just the way of the law — but you don’t need to practice as if your adversaries are your enemy.

I’ve been lucky, for the most part, many counsel I’ve come across in my short career have been professional and respectful of boundaries. I’ve heard stories, however, from other colleagues — both men and women of all manners of legal experience — of not-so-professional behavior. The reports range from bullying and sarcastic or demeaning e-mails to confrontations outside the courtroom and bad behavior during depositions.

While this type of conduct may work in the short-term for that attorney, it will not garner that person a good reputation in our very small legal community, nor will these guerrilla tactics work in the long run.

They’re like the grade-school bully in the classroom — eventually, the teachers find out what’s happening and the bully gets punished. It often works out that way in real life, too — eventually, clients or their superiors find out what’s going on and, hopefully, a message is sent that uncivil behavior will not be tolerated.

Respect, civility and professionalism are a key foundation for a career that one can be proud of. Short-term gains mean nothing in the long run.

• I try not to compare my practice to anyone else’s. That’s wasted energy better spent on focusing on making my own practice better or seeking out inspiring mentors.

Envy or jealousy will from time to time rear its ugly head — after all, we’re human. Personally and professionally, those feelings fail to serve us in any positive and meaningful way. We can’t be anyone else or practice just like someone else. We can only be ourselves.

Find which tools work the best for you. No one can find those attributes for you — they must be sought deeply in your own psyche.

There are so many lawyers in our community who do amazing things for our profession. Reach out to them. I have found so many attorneys who will take the time to talk to young lawyers, who truly care about seeing our profession prosper and enjoy providing guidance.

For me, being inspired keeps me focused and pushes me to be a better attorney.

If tomorrow’s flowers are today’s seeds, then the way we practice today will always have an effect on our practice in the future. What I have learned are seeds planted long ago — but not too long ago that they don’t continue to grow and bloom each and every day.

Our practice requires adjustment to constant change, but certain tenets will always remain the same.

Fairness, civility and contemplation to do what is right will always be the soil for our seeds.

Via The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin

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