INSPIRATION FOR LAWYERS

1) "Never be afraid to ask for direction on how to practice law more effectively. Everyone is afraid
to look foolish, but the practice of law is a collaborative endeavor. You don’t get to practice law
by yourself" -Eugene C. Blackard

2) "Courage is the most important attribute of a lawyer. It is more important than competence or
vision. It can never be an elective in any law school, and it should pervade the heart, the halls of
Justice and the chambers of the mind"- Robert F. Kennedy

3) “Don’t ever think of giving up. I have had a very successful law career for 23 years and have
now hit rock bottom because of my personal life. All the work I did has come to a naught. However,
I have refused to give up.” -Suparna Rai

4 "Every old lawyer was once a young lawyer. Some older lawyers might not remember what it
was like when they started their careers. That being said, I can assure you that almost all of the
older lawyers experienced similar stresses when they started."-Cyndee Todgham Cherniak

5) "My firm is relatively small and provides me with a much broader experience much earlier than
the big firms provided some of my classmates. I was appearing in court just a few months into my
career, while some classmates had not gotten on their feet until several years after
graduating."- John Roberts

6) "There is a vague popular belief that lawyers are necessarily dishonest. Let no young man
choosing the law for a calling for a moment yield to the popular belief. Resolve to be honest at all
events; and if in your judgment, you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without
being a lawyer."- Abraham Lincoln

7) "Embrace the fact that in your first years of practice that you are still learning. Law school does
not teach you everything that you need to know to practice law – far from it."-Cyndee Todgham
Cherniak

8) "Introduce yourself to the people that matter, and stay on their good side. This is a tip I got from
a retired judge and it’s served me well. -"John Rabil

9) “There have always been and continue to be days after 26 years of active duty as a lawyer that
I am at wits end and consider myself a failure. But then I remember the words of Winston
Churchill: "Never, never, never give up." So, it's okay to take a break or look for a different path
or even to say- you know this wasn't for me, I learned but I’m going to do something entirely
different, but never give up.” -Steve Harvey

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10) “Keep plugging. At one point in life, every attorney deals with that feeling of frustration. It
goes away the first time a client says thank you because you affected his life for the better”.
- Joseph Patriarca

11) "I am not stating that going solo isn’t hard; however, if twenty-somethings such as Andrew
Mason and Mark Zuckerberg can found multi-billion dollar companies like Groupon and
Facebook, respectively, you can start a solo practice." -Vikram R. Barad

12) "The new solo shouldn’t expect to have the same amount of business as that seasoned attorney
right away. Generating cases takes some time, but it does happen."-Patrick B. Markey

13) "You're not a lawyer when you graduate from law school. You're not even a lawyer after you
pass the bar exam and are admitted to the bar. When you can face a client or an opponent--or a
judge--without an overwhelming urge to throw up... then you're a lawyer." -Anonymous

14) "Only speak up in meetings if you are sure you are right. When I was a junior associate, I
erred on the side of being perceived as the quiet, but smart associate. This helped mask the fact
that more often than not, I was clueless. But try your best to speak up a few times during
meetings."-Anonymous

15) "It takes time to learn the practice well enough to feel comfortable in your own skin as a
litigator. For some it takes 5 years. Others, 10 years. Some never reach a comfort level. It is a long
process. You don’t become a litigator overnight."- Frank Ramos

16) "As a young lawyer, you owe it to yourself to become a better lawyer - to constantly improve
your skills -whether it’s your writing, your research, taking a deposition or arguing a
motion."- Frank Ramos

17) "If you want to be a good lawyer, you need to do everything it takes to become a good lawyer."-
Colin E Flora

19) "My generation and those older than I looked at law as a profession. Too many of the younger
ones look at law as a business." Pamela Ann Rymer

20) " I have watched with great sadness the decline in esteem held by our society of lawyers. There
must be a rediscovery of civility in the profession."- Sandra Day O'Connor

21) “If you want to get somewhere, you must get out of bed and take steps in that direction … one
foot in front of the other … otherwise, you stand still”. - Marina Modalin

22) "When you start your practice, it can seem like the money will never flow, but don’t you worry
cause eventually it will."- Rachael Rogers

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23) "Opposing counsel may raise his voice in order to upset you. Opposing counsel may use
inappropriate words in hopes you will also use inappropriate language. A senior lawyer in your
law firm may give you work on a Friday afternoon in hopes that it will ruin your week-end. You
cannot control what other people do, but you can control your reaction to it."- Cyndee Todgham
Cherniak

24) “In tough economic times like these, some new lawyers may want to open their minds to a
different type of risk and go west — or north, or south, or east — to find a job beyond their urban
dreams”. - Eric Cooperstein

25)) "Preparation is the be-all of good trial work. Everything else - felicity of expression,
improvisational brilliance- is a satellite around the sun. Thorough preparation is that sun."- Louis
Nizer

26) “Not sure what area of practice is best for you? In small towns, many lawyers are generalists.
They take a variety of cases and get experience in multiple areas. Eager to get inside a courtroom?
You may get more opportunities in a small town than you would as an associate in the big city”. -
Eric Cooperstein

27) "My father had encouraged me to consider law school during my undergraduate years but I
had not been completely sold on the idea. This was because I didn’t believe having a law degree
was necessary or helpful for one in the business world. It didn’t dawn on me at the time, that many
CEOs of fortune 500 companies had law degrees."-Vikram R. Barad

28) “Would you like clients to email you during and after a file to say- "Thank you so much for
your assistance. I cannot thank you enough for all your help. You really have been a great support
in my time of difficulty. I like lawyers because of you”? If you would like clients to have an
exceptional experience, you must work to create that exceptional experience”. -Cyndee Todgham
Cherniak

29) “Leave all work problems at the door of your home – Many young lawyers have bad days
(guess what, so do older lawyers). It is very important – so pay attention – do not bring your
problems inside your home. Treat the problems as a work bag and drop it at the front door before
you enter your home. When you leave your home again, either the problems will be where you
left them or they may have disappeared”. -Cyndee Todgham Cherniak

30) "I try to keep abreast of a wide variety of areas of the law, not just our primary practice areas." -
John Roberts

31) “There are many benefits to practicing in a smaller community. First off, there is plenty of
work to do. All those farms you pass as you drive that two-lane road into the country? That
farmland is worth several thousand dollars an acre in many areas. Those farm families need estate
plans, contracts, and business advice. There are teachers, small business owners, bankers, and other
professionals as well. The folk in small towns sometimes get divorced, commit the occasional

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DWI, and get in car accidents. They need local lawyers and they do not want to pay for some
lawyer from the city to drive out to the rural courthouse to represent them. They need trusted
advisors they can form life-long professional relationships with. That could be you”. -Eric
Cooperstein

32) “Young lawyers must learn by doing. Once a young lawyer acknowledges that they have a lot
to learn and see learning as part of the process, it gets easier.” -Cyndee Todgham Cherniak

33) "Stagnation disgusts many of us. That doesn’t mean we are destined to jump firms. Staying in
one place is fine so long as you are continuing to grow your mind and your abilities. You chose
law. That means you want to be continually challenged at a high-level in the field of law you enjoy
practicing. If that can happen at your current firm – then, perhaps the decision is easy. If it cannot
– perhaps even easier." -Ethan G. Zelizer

34) “The reality is that to succeed in law you have to put your nose to the grindstone for a good
few years and watch, learn, develop and grow.” -David Reilly

35) "Read, read, read materials pertaining to your area of practice. You will learn much on the
projects on which you are working; you need to supplement that knowledge base by keeping
current on legal developments."-Thomas M. Fahey

36) “Being a lawyer is a calling, not just a job.”-AJ Johnson

37) “There is a huge difference between being a lawyer and practicing law. Almost anyone has the
capacity to become a lawyer, but not everyone has what it takes to practice law. To practice law
well, do so with inspiration and dedication.”- Hamoody Hassan

38) “Just let yourself stand out from the 30 000 others being let loose from Varsity without a clue
as to what the Law actually consists of! Most and foremost, be professional at all times”. -
Elizabeth Strydom-Van Niekerk

39) “I'm studying law in Barcelona. I study and work at the same time. I have no parents. I envy
those young people who have family that supports them, it gives them momentum to continue
during hard times. Few people understand that my vacation days are to study for my exams. The
road to the top is hard. But when I can help others with what I learn, I feel happy.” -Ana Muniesa

If you want to go beyond these quotes in getting yourself inspired and motivated to go for your
dreams as a young lawyer, then get a copy of the book- Dream Like A Fool, Act Like A Lawyer