Probably some of the things I learned in my 30 years as a lawyer may be useful to you. Law school teaches you things that will be good for your clients; The following will be good for you. You can never have professional happiness if you are not financially successful Law notes.
One of the great pleasures in life is fulfillment. In my opinion, if you remember these 21 things you will have a long, happy and successful career.
1.- Remember, the rule of 9
This is how it works – 9 out of 10 people are good, honest, intelligent and fair. Therefore, if you want to have the probability in your favor, choose the fair side of the issue. In the legal profession, the just side of things is the one that helps society. In other words, don’t hurt your partner. In Court the Rule of 9 works the same way. 9 times out of 10 the good side triumphs in the Courts.
2.- Remember, the integrity of a lawyer is of vital importance to the community
If the butcher, the baker or the electrician are not honest that is not a problem. On the other hand, since the lawyer plays a vital role in the lives of citizens, if he is not honest it is a catastrophe. Let me give you some examples:
a) A couple of years ago, just after noon in July, the door to my private office opened and a man was standing there. He had represented him for many years, he was a successful farmer. He was very pale and trembling he told me: “I made the worst mistake a human being can make. I killed a man and in the next second I realized what a terrible thing he had done. For the love of God, help me.”
b) Some months ago, on a Sunday afternoon, while I was in the office with the door closed, a person who had represented for years, the same as his father before him, called me and in a nervous voice told me : “I’m downstairs, your office door is closed but I was praying you were there. I need to talk with you”. When he arrived he showed me several newspaper clippings that he brought from the post office in a distant city. The headlines and front-page articles told a story about a liquor store robbery and that the owner had been murdered when he tried to defend himself, the capture by the police, the laboratory reports that conclusively proved that the shooter was the murderer, and that the murderer was his son. Crying like a baby he said “Help me. What I can do?”
c) In the 30 years of my professional practice, I felt that my duty required that I ask the Jury to take the life of a man on three different occasions. On two occasions the Jury agreed to my requests. In the third, the accused committed suicide the day he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
No profession can be as important as one that requires this type of commitment from its members. Therefore, the integrity of its members is of vital importance to the community.
3.- Remember, always be kind to people regardless of their social status, their level of education or their financial situation because:
a) That guy who is now serving drinks in the store, in 25 years could be the president of the American Investment Banking Association and could call you to discuss an important issue.
b) That boy who is collecting metals on the street and selling it to have money to spend, in 20 years could be hiring you to examine certain property titles of land that he is buying in other States.
c) That classmate who, on graduation day, said that he was not going to continue studying anything because he already had all the necessary knowledge, in several years could be elected president of the board of directors of some industrial company, thus proving that what he said was true .
d) Many successful businessmen do not know how to read or write.
4.- Remember, in the practice of law, under a democratic form of government, there are no secrets
Therefore, never put anything in writing, or say anything in a conference or on the phone that you would care to see on the front page of a newspaper, or on TV, or heard on the witness stand or on the radio. .
5.- Remember, the best way to disarm your enemies is to do what is fair under the circumstances
6.- Remember, no people has developed a better method of resolving disputes between men than our judicial system.
The judicial system was developed by the legal profession and was tested millions of times; Although it is not perfect, it is the best there is. Always defend the system. If you ever lose a trial, don’t try to bring down the Court.
7.- Remember, the most important thing, when it comes to getting a job, is what your neighbors think of you.
Everything on earth is connected to your city and your neighborhood. How high you go in your profession depends on who employs you. The most important jobs I ever had in my life originated from someone very close to home. Therefore, what your neighbors think of you is what matters.
8.- Remember, no other profession allows its members to enjoy a long professional life like the legal profession does.
As long as the lawyer lives he can work. As long as the lawyer preserves his health and his brain he can do it successfully. Think about our neighbor, the senator, who practiced law for 70 years.
9.- Remember, there is no limit to success in the legal profession
The only limit to the success you can achieve is your time and energy. And the thought that gives you the strength to finish when the day gets late and continuing gets tough is that, regardless of how it looks to others, you know that you are fighting according to the accepted rules of the game.
10.- Remember, the end does not justify the means
Two bad things don’t make one good. It is better to lose than not to fight according to the rules. It is extremely easy for a young lawyer to violate those rules. If you have a family to support on a meager income, there is a great temptation to become lax in professional morals. Keep in mind that you will benefit financially if you don’t. The magnitude of the responsibility entrusted to you is in direct relation to the trust that people have in you. No one can destroy the trust that others have in you, except you. The key is integrity; Therefore, you must not only be honest, but you must also maintain the appearance of honesty.
11.- Remember, to be a good lawyer you first have to be a good man
Your main ambition has to be related to being a good husband, a good father, a good neighbor, a good citizen and a good lawyer. If you achieve this, you will have achieved all the success that can be achieved. The pleasure of life.
12.- Remember, never put your interest in your fees ahead of your interest in the case
Your future income will depend more on the way you handle the case than on the amount of fees you charge.
13.- Remember, the main objective of the legal profession is to find, recognize, interpret and preserve the truth
The quicker you can learn about the reality of a situation, the better off you will be.
14.- Remember, your clients unconsciously make you the guardian of their moral principles
a) A couple of years ago, mid-morning I received a call from a local citizen who at the time lived in another city saying that he would make an appointment with me as soon as he could drive. The afternoon he arrived he explained to me that he had been chosen as the best bidder in a tender for a large construction project and that the second bidder, who had a more expensive offer, asked him to resign so he could do the work and they would split the difference. and, having thus decided, that it requested a contract that would bind this second offeror in that sense. After explaining to him that he could not do that and that no other lawyer could do it without committing a crime, he decided to continue with the committed work. Since then, he and his entire family have been clients of mine.
15.- Remember, the Court is where the show begins
This is where the lawyer must put his all into it. This is where you will meet your adversary. There is a large segment of the profession that tries to evade the Court at all costs. That is an error. Of course the Court has to be the last resort but I never had any luck in handling matters in a negotiation until the situation was in a good shape to be judged. If you have a good case and are well prepared 9 times out of 10 you will surely not need to go to Court. If you are not well prepared, you will either lose the case or force your client into an unfair settlement. Court work is essential for the lawyer because until you have a real appreciation of what you can or cannot achieve in Court, you will not have a real standard to evaluate your case. A trial attorney is to the legal profession what a surgeon is to medicine. A lawyer who never sets foot in Court will never know how to provide good service to his clients. The greatest compliment a lawyer can receive is: “ He is a good trial lawyer. ”
16.- Remember, there is no safe way to bind two people and keep them linked through a written instrument
The only thing that binds people is the fact that under any circumstance, the majority of men, without knowing what the other will do, will seek the golden rope of justice, truth, decency and therefore will bind themselves to others who look for the same rope. This is the only combination that will last over time.
17.- Remember, live for your 50th birthday
As soon as I graduated and opened my office, I attended a conference by an evangelist who in his talk said: “It doesn’t matter what your job is, if you are young and just starting out, I am going to tell you what you have to expect from life. If from now until your 50th birthday you make every decision in your business or profession in such a way that you think it helps society, from your 50th birthday onwards, for the balance of life, the pleasure you will get from work of your entire life will double every 12 months. On the other hand, if your decisions are against society, your disappointments and miseries will double every 12 months.” I am now three years past my 50th birthday and I believe this man was right.
18.- Remember, money loses its importance when you have enough food, shelter and shelter for you and your family
At this point, with all people the pleasure decreases as the amount increases. People who have nothing but money have very little.
19.- Remember, the happiest man on earth is the man who has to work to live
20.- Remember, many of your emotions, excitement or unusual experiences will come in a very peculiar and unexpected way.
a) A woman drove 20 miles and ran to my office and said “I just heard he died of a heart attack. Thank God it’s not true.”
b) Driving to a gas station, the owner – who I don’t remember seeing before – yells at his son. “Dear, go find your mother, here is the man who convinced us not to divorce. “We both want to thank you.”
c) Clients who send you more than the agreed fee saying you haven’t charged them enough (It doesn’t happen too often, but it’s exciting when it happens)
d) Letters of gratitude from heirs whom you have never met.
e) People who come to your office as new clients, whom you had previously sued.
21.-Remember, those who stay linked the longest are usually the best
I believe you have the ability to succeed in medicine, engineering, business, or anything you want to do, but you don’t have the time. To become fully qualified, established and successful at something takes a lifetime. Therefore, those who choose early to chart a course in their lives and stick with it are generally those who enjoy the greatest success. In the legal profession the same principle applies to location. Many times, every month someone comes to my office as a result of some association with a member of their family made many years ago. If you don’t stay in one place, you will lose this advantage.
I believe that after you practice the legal profession for more than 30 years, you will also know that law is the best profession there is.