Five Things I Wished I'd Done Differently as a New Lawyer

I wanted to take a brief detour in this blog and write to new law graduates. Congratulations, you're a lawyer! Or not, because right now, though you've just earned your degree, you've not yet passed the all-important Bar--so near, yet so far! Though most of you are likely now preparing for the Bar exam, I thought I would share with you some of what I've learned in the past 11 years of practice.

Of course, you all know that in law school, and as new lawyers, there have been and will be scores of individuals imparting unsolicited advice, and now I join them. However, rather than specifically giving advice, I'll just share a little about my experiences as a new lawyer. Specifically, I'd like to share five things I wish I'd done a

little differently after passing the Bar. Of course, everyone's experience is different, and my perspective is colored by my own. I left school to work for what was initially a small, family-owned law firm in a small town in North Carolina, initially doing a general legal practice. I didn't go to work at a big city law corporation, or as an in-house counsel, or even as an assistant district attorney. All of those attorneys would have their own starting-out experiences that might differ from mine. Nevertheless, below are five things that I wished I'd done differently as a new lawyer.

1. I WOULD HAVE TAKEN TIME OFF BEFORE STARTING WORK.

When I took the North Carolina Bar in 1998, there was a period of approximately three to four weeks between taking the exam and finding out if I'd passed. I walked out of my examination room, got in my car, and went to the beach. But then, mere days later, I started my job and legal career for what likely would be the next four decades. To be fair, my employer didn't push me to start so soon--in fact, he frankly told me that he'd rather that I wait until I'd passed before starting, warning me that it would be very embarrassing if I started work and then had to quit because I'd failed the Bar. But I didn't listen to him, and started immediately. Part of it was that I was sick of being broke--I'd spent all summer as a 25-year-old man, living off my parents and their money, and I was ready for a paycheck. Plus, I'd worked for three years, and I was ready--chomping at the bit almost--to be an attorney. So, after a brief vacation at the beach, I began working during August 1998 as an "almost-lawyer"--going through training and learning my way, praying to God I passed the Bar, and working, always working.

What I should have done was what my boss suggested I do--simply take time off and enjoy myself until I'd passed the Bar in late August. Sure, I didn't have any money, but I was living at home for free--what did I need? I'd gone through four years of college, long preparatory courses to take the LSAT, three long years in law school, and a very difficult summer studying for the Bar. What was three weeks, after all of that?

More importantly, that time will likely have been the last time in my life--until retirement--that I would be able to take off three consecutive weeks from work. I could've spent a week at the beach, a week at home, and perhaps a week driving around the country (with a little money borrowed from my parents, of course). In any event, I could've lived and savored that time a little more.

Granted, in some states (such as Georgia, where my most of my classmates ended up), new graduates don't learn of the Bar results until around Thanksgiving, so practically, they can't simply vacate until the results come in. But they can take off some time. And for those of you who only have to wait a few weeks until passing the Bar, I would highly recommend that, if possible, you just enjoy yourself. Sure, you'll be nervous, as you await the results. But you can soak in all that you've recently accomplished and been through. And if you look at the odds, odds are, you're going to pass. Why not enjoy what may well be the last long vacation you take for decades?

2. I WOULD HAVE NOT TAKEN MYSELF SO SERIOUSLY.

In 1998, I'd just graduated from a high-tier law school. I'd studied the Bar--and I'd passed it. I was ready to set the world on fire! I suspect that most of my peers felt the same way. Coming into my new firm, I was ready to be ..... A LAWYER (trumpets sounding, please). At least, that was the music playing in my head.

I felt like I was a walking encyclopedia of the law, and was ready to take on any case or cause that came my way. I had my degree after all. I came in ready to show people how law should be practiced. Ok, maybe I didn't so clearly enunciate this 11 years ago, but at least that's how I acted. The truth of the matter--as most lawyers who've practiced a while will tell you--is that as a new lawyer I knew almost nothing. I'd learned a lot of cases, I'd learned how to research, but as a practical matter, law school didn't teach me or my classmates how to actually practice law on a daily basis. I had so much more to learn: about law, about how to treat people, and about how to be a good attorney.

Had I learned earlier on not to take myself so seriously (and I'm still learning this), I could've saved myself some grief. It doesn't matter that you're suddenly boss over a paralegal twice your age with half your education, and it doesn't matter that coming straight out of school you may be making more than her: truth is, she probably knows a heck of a lot more about day-to-day law than you do. Had I understood that more quickly instead of trying to show them what I knew, I'd have gotten along better with staff, and frankly learned a lot more in a shorter amount of time.

There is a biblical passage that, paraphrased, states the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. New lawyers, in your new career, the beginning of wisdom is to know how truly little you know, and how unimportant you are in the grand scheme of life. Paralegals, court officials, clerks--even bankers--will often know way more about the law than you do at the beginning. If you can keep this in mind, it will help you not take yourself so seriously. I learned this--but unfortunately not as quickly as I should have.

3. I WOULD HAVE NOT SPREAD MYSELF SO THIN IN MY PERSONAL LIFE.

When I first got out of school, I was so excited to regain some of the free time I'd lost in law school. I immediately tried to put that time to use. I picked up teaching a Sunday School class, volunteered at church events, and helped out some with my church's youth group. Of course, I did all of this after my 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. days at the office, often coming in on Saturdays as well to keep caught up. Still, it felt great to have all this extra time freed up from studying to, well, be productive. Eventually, however, it wore me down. I was a single guy, so I would get up, work out at 6:00 a.m., and, after working a long day, come home, fix whatever was easiest to put in a microwave, eat, watch a couple of hours of television, then go to bed to do it all over again. On some Fridays I'd help out with church functions. On Saturdays, I spent all day doing housework and yardwork--mowing my yard, ironing my dress shirts (!), and trying to manage my newly acquired home. On Sundays, I got up and taught Sunday School, always frustrated at the poor job I felt like I was doing. And then, on Sunday afternoon--sweet Sunday afternoons--for about three hours, I had a blissful period of rest, to nap, watch tv, or do nothing, before going back to church at night. Three sweet hours, out of the entire week, to simply do nothing. Of course, lots of times I couldn't enjoy that time because I was too worried about all the things I had to do on Monday.

New lawyers, it is very likely that your first few years of practice will be stressful, difficult, and involve long hours of work. That's just the unfortunate nature of the beast, the path you've chosen--at least for a while, as you hope to earn your stripes. Don't take on too much in the beginning with other obligations that you don't have to take on. In retrospect, perhaps I should've waited a while to be more active at church, so that I could've given it better attention. And I should've realized that, with home ownership, comes a lot of additional responsibility and work. Had I realized how much work a home entailed, I might have picked a house that had a smaller yard, or was newer and required less upkeep.

Speaking of my house.....

4. I WOULD HAVE NOT SPREAD MYSELF SO THIN FINANCIALLY.

That first paycheck I received as a lawyer was the biggest I'd ever held in my hand, but very quickly, I learned that it didn't go very far. I was actually pretty thrifty at first, and didn't waste my money. However, I subscribed to the prevailing wisdom of the time, which was to "buy as much house as you can afford." The thinking, at that time, was that if you bought more than just a beginner house, you could live in it for more years before wanting to upgrade. That part is true: ten years later, my wife and I are still living in my original bachelor house. On the other hand, though, by buying as much home as I could afford, I really spread myself thin financially.

I constantly worried about money, and lived on a very regimented budget. I worried about unforeseen expenses arising, and what I would do if a surprise house expense or medical expense came up. I had absolutely no discretionary spending money--I had $20 to spend for eating out in a week, and couldn't even budget for a movie! I couldn't even afford to take my dress shirts to the cleaners, which meant I spent every Saturday afternoon slowly ironing and starching French cuff dress shirts, eating up what precious free time I had.

If I'd simply bought a smaller, less expensive house, I wouldn't have been so financially bound. I could have saved up "rainy day" money for emergencies (thank God none came up during that first year). I could have gone on vacations with friends. I could have lived a little bit more.

5. I WOULD HAVE REEVALUATED MY LIFE AND PRACTICE EARLIER.

Most of us who enter the law practice have definite ideas of where we want our future to lead. In fact, we probably have had those ideas for some time. In college, we wanted to get into a good law school. In law school, we wanted to get a good job. Once we got that job, we then wanted to make partner, become the District Attorney, General Counsel, whatever. I'd had that focus going into my job.

But what I didn't do early on--that I wished I'd done--was to on a regular basis evaluate where I was in my practice, and where I really wanted to be. See the distinction? Instead of constantly asking myself, "How can I get more clients, a bigger salary, an equal partnership," I should have also been asking myself more soul-searching questions; questions like:

--Do I like the people for whom I'm working? (I did, and I still do);
--Do I like my particular area of law practice? (I did not, and didn't realize this until about six years into my practice);
--Is this what I'd hoped I'd be doing, when I was in law school?
--Do I want to be doing what I'm doing now twenty years from now?
--Are there better and different ways for me to do what I'm doing?

In my relentless search for all those things we lawyers want (success, however it is defined), I didn't, early on, ask myself these really important questions. Granted, as a new lawyer, your life is not likely to be a bed of roses. You don't get to name your hours, your practice area, or your salary. Hey, that's the game you and I have chosen to play, and you have to understand that in your first few years of law practice, life isn't going to always be easy. But what you shouldn't forget is that--for whatever reason you decided to practice law, not one of us said, "I want to go to law school so I can get out, be a lawyer, work a job and a practice I hate, and be miserable the rest of my life."

For five or six years, I walked around constantly stressed, harried, tired and worried--as a result of the practice I was in. It started innocuously enough, because I knew as a beginning lawyer that things would be tough. But as days turned into months, months then turned into years. I didn't stop to evaluate myself or where I was heading. I didn't ask myself why my stomach was tied in knots, why I lost my temper so much more quickly than before, or why I'd become a much different person than the one who'd entered law school.

Had I simply evaluated my life and my practice early on, I probably could have steered my path more quickly from a practice area that frankly was not for me, in the process, saving myself a few years of stress. Don't misunderstand me: your life as a new lawyer is NOT going to be easy. But don't let yourself fall into the trap of many lawyers, and let your career become one long period of stress and unhappiness. Evaluate yourself and your practice, at least on a yearly basis. Ask yourself some of the above questions!


New law grads, once again, I offer congratulations. Already, by getting this far, you really have accomplished something. You now stand before potentially fulfilling and lucrative legal careers, and I hope you can learn, more quickly than I, some of the lessons above.

Name That Tune! We Want To Know Your Favorite Tunes of All-Time

There's nothing like "old-school" music to help me make it through the work day. While I'm calendaring dates or typing away on my computer, I slip on the old headphones and jam to one of my all-time favorite beats.

On the way to work this morning, I heard Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on KBLX. Now, I don't want to "date myself," but I believe I used to drive to work to this tune - well, let's just say - Michael and I are in the same "genre." Yesterday, I heard another oldie, but goodie, "Superman Lover" by Johnny Guitar Watson.

Please submit your favorites. . .we'd love to know :)

I'll start it off with:

1. "Sailing" by Christopher Cross

2. "Love Will Follow" by Kenny Loggins and Shanece

3. "Always and Forever" by Heat Wave

4. "Pleasure Principle" by Janet Jackson and. . .

5. "Miss Otis Regrets" (the Bette Midler version) - check it out!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQnl4TX5wOE

It's Friday AND WWYDTBP

It's Friday AND "What Would You Do To Brad Pitt?"

Ann Curry's interview from Cannes with Brad Pitt aired on "The Today Show" this past Wednesday.

I mean, Brad is hot - really hot. . .but, do you think Ann crossed the "line of professionalism" when she playfully puts her hand on Brad's chin about 2/3 of the way into the interview. . .she should have done the interview in Vegas, because as you know, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

You be the judge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6YNXGhBjhk

Have a wonderful LONG weekend!

Get Half-Off Spa Treatments via yelp.com

Thanks to Tehnyia for the heads-up on this one!

http://yelp.typepad.com/files/hawt-on-yelp-services.pdf


TGIF! Have a great weekend.

A Better Way To "Brown Bag"

Secrets of a Brown Bagger
By Jessica Yadegaran
Contra Costa Times

(Reprinted with Permission)


I THINK my co-workers have lunch envy. Not long ago, I was sitting on a bench with my Tupperware of turmeric-tinged Israeli couscous and mâche salad when a gaggle of ladies stopped on their way to the new barbecue joint down the street.

"Wow, look at you," one remarked, eyes popping as she admired the kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes and basil strips. "Why don't I do that?"

Why don't you, I wondered, as I forked another bunch of mâche, avo and cranberries. On a daily basis, I hear colleagues complain about money — then drop $10 on an average and unhealthy lunch loaded with fat and starch. Enough. It's time to unleash my brown-bagged secrets. You can enjoy lively, nutritious midday meals that take as little as 10 minutes to prepare. Do a little legwork the night before and revel in a lunch worthy of the fanciest cafe menus.

Also, never underestimate your leftovers. What's the best meal a professional chef can ask for? The wholesome, simple sandwich he makes from the night's scraps. That's how Tom Colicchio's 'witchcraft, the gourmet sandwich chain, came about. In their eponymous book, "'Wichcraft: Craft a Sandwich into a Meal — and a Meal into a Sandwich," ($27.50, HarperCollins), Colicchio and chef-partner Sisha Ortuzar teach readers how to transform leftovers into delicious sandwiches.

Assuming you've prepared a protein-based meal for dinner, you can turn it into a sandwich 75 percent of the time, Ortuzar tells me. And it doesn't have to taste like it did the night before. Take his Flat Iron Steak sandwich. He gives it a kick with Cucumber and Ginger Salad and a dash of Black Chile Mayonnaise.

"It's all in the choice of ingredients and bread," Ortuzar says. He's a fan of herbs and homemade or store-bought condiments that provide pizazz to leftover roast chicken (ideal for chicken salad sandwiches), meatloaf or pork. Mustards, capers, roasted peppers and preserved lemons add the gourmet factor that you can't get from a ham and swiss.

Sandwich from scraps

Leftover poached salmon? Fork it apart and add yogurt or mustard and dill or tarragon for an impressive salad to spread on hefty wheat bread. Remember, two ounces of meat will go a long way between two slices of bread, Ortuzar says, so there's no need to stack high.

If you're stressed about sogginess, he has a rather architectural solution for that.

"If the sandwich is going to sit around for a while, go with something crusty, like ciabatta or a baguette, to keep it from leaking," he says. Sandwiches made with those breads benefit from time because they absorb the juices and flavors without getting soggy, he says.

If you want to use something lighter, like sliced white bread, you can insulate your sandwich by putting a slice of cheese or bib of lettuce in the right place. "Put those things next to your bread," he says. "They act as a barrier."

If there are no leftovers to speak of, you can still make a star sandwich that's affordable by visiting the butcher, Ortuzar says. Go for low-cost cuts such as flank steak or less visually pleasing parts, like tails of fish. "They're just as tasty and cheaper because they're scraps," he says.

Also, Ortuzar cautions us not to pass up the prepared section of the deli. Buying a small roast can be a flavorful and healthful alternative to packaged cold cuts, which Ortuzar frowns upon. "They're pumped full of water," he says.

Still, he's pro-canned tuna, and swears by American Tuna, a San Diego-based group of family fishermen that use the sustainable pole-and-troll fishing method for catching smaller, mercury-safe albacore. I found some at Whole Foods and used it to make my own tuna salad. I add olive oil, capers, chopped artichoke hearts from the can and fresh diced tomatoes with plenty of fresh squeezed lemon. I spread lots of jarred olive tapenade on a rosemary ciabatta I get at Trader Joe's for a sandwich that has earned me longing stares in the cafeteria.

Lunch fixings

I've been making my lunch for 10 years, and, out of all the grocery stores I've lived near (Safeway, Andronico's Lunardi's, Whole Foods), I've found Trader Joe's to be the most bagged-lunch-friendly of the bunch. Making my aforementioned mâche salad is a cinch in the morning because all I do is unzip conveniently bagged ingredients — mâche, cranberries, crumbled cheese, grilled chicken strips — and toss them in a Tupperware. Because I'm lucky enough to find avocado year-round, I take two minutes to slice that into the salad. It makes me happy.

As for that Israeli couscous, I make the whole box ($1.99 at TJ's) for dinner and toss it in an enormous wooden bowl with whatever I have in the pantry and fridge: Paprika, turmeric or cumin, fresh herbs, chopped and sauteed vegetables, roasted red peppers. I'm sure to add a protein, be it smoked tofu, chicken, or turkey sausage, to give me brain power for the second half of the day.

The dish serves two for dinner and leaves me enough for two to three lunches, depending on what else I toss in the brown bag. I'm a fan of small apples and a few squares of dark chocolate. But whatever I pop in a bag for lunch, I take pride in putting something good into my body in the middle of the day. It's easier to hit a fast food joint, but the time investment is well worth the joy of looking forward to my midday meal. The lunch envy is kind of fun, too.

Reach Jessica Yadegaran at 925-943-8155 or jyadegaran@bayareanewsgroup.com.

"Obsessed" Starring Beyonce Knowles

You'll never look at "temps" the same way again.

Okay, I give this 3 out of 5 stars. . .but I still want to see it a second time! Even though Beyonce is not the greatest actor/actress of all time, she is still drop dead gorgeous. And Idris Elba is not only "easy on the eyes," but he's a great actor.

Ali Larter gives a great performance as "The Temp."

And the LA fashion and scenery (including the Escalade Hybrid) make it enjoyable and trendy.

Harmless fun! Check it out.

Starbucks Unveils Its New Ad Campaign

And I must admit, it's pretty darn good. Almost as good as the Greek Yogurt Parfait ;)

My Newest Obsession - Starbucks Greek Yogurt & Honey Parfait!

Just when I had trained myself not to automatically turn into Starbucks every morning (I've been drinking what they have at the office), a little birdie tells me about Starbucks Greek Yogurt & Honey Parfait.

Could this stuff taste any better?? It's got Greek Yogurt (reduced-fat, of course), coconut-almond macaroon granola (whoever thought of this is a genius), pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries.

At 3.45 a pop, I don't think I'll be having one every day, but I'm certainly going to "treat" myself at least once a week.

Check it out for yourself!