If you are anything like me, you left law school with three skills: how to apply The Bluebook, how to Shepardize a case, and how to study for an exam. While these skills are necessary to the successful practice of law, they are hardly sufficient. Having embarked on the private practice of law, there may be many days when you feel utterly confused and lost. What follows are tips gleaned from 28 years in the law.
First, “[t]he law is a jealous [lover], and requires a long and constant courtship. It is not to be won by trifling favors, but by lavish homage.” Joseph Story’s hoary maxim, updated to acknowledge that a third of lawyers in the U.S. are women, remains as true today as when it was written in 1829. Practicing law at a high level requires an endless amount of work. To be at the top of your game, you will have to put in many hours. If you use those hours well, you will improve as a lawyer and obtain better and more interesting assignments, making practice more interesting and fun. But you will ultimately be required to work hard. If you don’t like to work hard, find another profession now.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
