15 Honest Lawyering Tips from my Law Professors
1. Winning is not the only goal. Another important goal is to be a passionate advocate and to make your client(s) feel they have someone fighting for them.
2. You can’t fix everything. Original quote was: “If your client is fucked up you can’t unfuck them.”
3. Know and accept your limitations. Don’t make your client expect way too much of you and then try to fix things you are not equipped to do.
4. Sometimes you shouldn’t win. You’ll have cases where you lose and that is the right outcome for everyone.
5. Your client may want emotional vindication that they can’t get from a judge. If you want to help them emotionally, you can be the one to tell them they are in the right.
6. If you can’t do it, don’t take the case. Once you’re in, you have to be a zealous advocate.
7. You won’t like all of your clients. At the end of the day, it’s a job. You need to represent clients you like and dislike the same way.
8. If you disagree with someone, be hard on the problem, not on the person.
9. Don’t burn bridges. The person you are mean to now might end up being your boss later.
10. Know when you acting deranged while working on a case. If everyone who loves you thinks you have lost your mind, you’ve lost your mind. You need boundaries. Your mental health is number one, and you are not effective when you are compromised that way.
11. You have to be somewhat dispassionate. Treat facts with some distance to be actually a good lawyer. It doesn’t mean you don’t care or are unsympathetic.
12. When you’re new, there’s a tendency to say yes to everything. Don’t say yes to everything. Instead, underpromise and over-deliver.
13. You don’t have to work under a mean boss.
14. If you screw up, learn to deliver a true apology and change your behavior going forward.
15. Learn to be inspired by things that are outside your field.
Feel free to add your own tips!
