As lawyers, we handle real problems faced by real people.
From ensuring one’s inheritance is distributed in a harmonious way that preserves the fabric of his/her family, to defending one’s constitutional and democratic right needed to preserve the fabric of society.
While to us it may just be another brown folder on the shelf, beneath it is someone’s home, life’s work, livelihood, family, dignity, liberty, or even life.
Everything we do and every step we take has real-life consequences, and can determine someone’s life trajectory.
This is why we need to treat legal practice with utmost seriousness.
We must hold ourselves to the highest of standards, to do every single task not only to the best of our abilities, but also to an objective standard of excellence.
Those who can’t achieve that standard should leave, as you’re a hazard to society, and a danger to clients. Even, if you think you are doing the best you could.
Now, we know good lawyering may not win you a case you should have lost.
But poor lawyering, may very well lose you a case you should have won.
And the latter is thousands times more painful, because then, the fault is yours, the blame is on you, and the blood, is on your hands.
Everybody makes mistakes too; but there is a huge difference between an honest mistake and a mistake due to a dereliction of duty, laziness, and pure negligence. The latter deserves the strongest condemnation because, at the end of the day, it is the innnocent client who suffers.
But how many in the profession, grasp the seriousness of our work?
We have juniors who take becoming a lawyer as merely a badge for “beauty/handsome with brains”, and who frown upon any criticism against them. They expect employers to behave like their parents, who’d pat them on their back and tell them “it is okay as long you tried your best!” – well, it is not.
We have seniors who while yelling “it’s a noble profession!” on social media, can’t even string two sentences properly in court, after 1 year and still can’t operate Zoom and conduct a virtual hearing smoothly, and can’t cross-examine without ending up in a shouting contest with the witness. How noble are you?
And we have law schools that churn out graduates with the lowest of standards. Profit is what they pursue, not knowledge.
Of course, it is easy to criticize others.
So, let me make it clear that most important of all, we ourselves, should be our harshest critics.
We must constantly ask ourselves:
- Could we have done more research?
- Could we have read the documents more thoroughly?
- Could we have read the law report word by word as opposed to glancing through it?
- Could we have sat on a case longer and thought more critically about the consequences of all the steps we are taking?
- Could we have done the work earlier and not submitted a last-minute job?
- Could we have been more prepared for a hearing?
- Could we attend another course or read another book to improve ourselves?
- Could we be doing more work, instead of writing a blogpost like this?
Until we can honestly say that we did all that we physically could, we are not good enough and should do better.
The harsh truth is, there is no glory in being “passionate” or “enthusiastic” if your work is rubbish.
Clients are not chasing after lawyers who have “heart”; that’s a given. Clients want lawyers who can get the work done, and who can get the work done well.
The world doesn’t need another passionate lawyer, but could really benefit from another competent one.
So, yes, legal practice is not like Suits, it’s true. But not because it is not as glamorous or dramatic, but it’s because it is way more serious than that.
To me, legal practice is more like Hell’s Kitchen.
If you want to call yourself a professional but can’t conduct yourself professionally, hand over the jacket (robe) and f*ck off!
Please don’t feel offended, unless you think the shoe fits…
Read more on legal practice here: The Art of Advocacy