On a recent Saturday morning a month or so ago, I participated in the New Jersey State Bar Association New Lawyer Day, which endeavored to give new lawyers a basic knowledge of different areas of law. I participated in the program on Municipal Court and spoke on issues involving strategy and tactics in handling a DWI case. While much of what I spoke on was specific to DWI cases, many of the topics involved values and concepts that are common across the practice. After organizing those ideas, I thought it would be useful to pass them on to the dozen or so people who happen to read this column. So, these were my admonitions to the young(er) people approaching the practice:

1. First, second and third (you get the idea), love what you do. A long time ago, my dad told me that the law was a “jealous mistress.” Of course, he was right. If you’re going to spend the better part of your life laboring in this vineyard, you really want to love wine with a passion. Passion for your work comes with loving what you do. It is that intense enthusiasm that you bring to your practice that makes you different and special in your chosen field.

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