legal sanity

I’ve come across several recent articles that, taken together, create an interesting mosaic of opinion on what it means to be a successful lawyer. I’ll start with this commentary adapted from a speech by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. Addressing a law school audience, he cautions that success in the law can cause us to “slide imperceptibly into a mode where demands the job makes are automatically accorded priority over other demands.” He then reminds us (in a statement made even more poignant by his recent passing) that “time is a commodity, the supply of which is not inexhaustible. [ ] Life’s dramas are played out on a number of different stages, and you cannot do justice to the potential of your own life without sampling several of these performances. As you do this, you will be surprised to find that new sources of enjoyment arise from some of the places where you would least expect them.” While the Chief Justice’s advice certainly can stand alone, it pairs nicely with the step-by-step guidance this article offers first-year associates seeking the path to career success. With clarity and brevity, it walks readers through expectations and planning to goal-setting and action points. The keys to successful lawyering are also explored in this new book by fellow blogger Gerry Riskin of Amazing Firms Amazing Practices. Rounding out the composition is this piece, this one and still another conveying - albeit in different ways - that giving back to communities, organizations and our fellow human beings is an essential part of being a truly successful lawyer.