qualified individual being subordinated to the more domineering individual , size of a book of business being the be-all-and-end-all metric for determining quality of lawyering skills , praising those who are “ retiring ” but will still work multiple days a week practicing law , passing references to the proverbial “ golden handcuffs ,” and glorifying wielding power over new lawyers . It was all a bit troubling as it appeared the profession ( or at least those in it ) ascribed to the all-or-nothing approach . Possibly you have heard that old phrase “ the practice of law is a jealous mistress ?” I guess we were warned . After all , I have distinct memories of warnings during law school orientation and the beginning lawyer program through the State Bar that lawyers are more likely to end up depressed , with a substance abuse problem , divorced , sued for malpractice multiple times in our careers , blind , or unhealthy . ( Quite the “ welcome to the profession ” message , I will add ).
So , if you have made it this far into this message , I feel confident you are thinking to yourself , “ Where is she going with this ?” or “ Wow , thanks Debby-downer , great ‘ Happy Holidays ’/ end of the year message .” Those are valid reactions . This is also a deviation from my normal public messaging , and therefore , a bit out of my comfort zone .
I want to pose this question : Have you identified anything about the profession , or your role / relationship with it , that you think should be changed ? If so , what are you going to do about it ? Maybe you think you are too far gone but you will encourage younger attorneys not to “ lose ” themselves to the profession - to guard and protect their interests away from the office - whatever those may be ( within legally recognized limits , sorry , it is the lawyer in me ). Maybe you will experiment with creating realistic and healthy boundaries to permit yourself time to recharge and therefore better serve your clients when you are working . Maybe you will go out of your way to make sure the client knows and recognizes the valuable contributions made by others on your legal team , even those ( or particularly those ) junior to you . Maybe we can let go of the stigma that is often attached to people who need / want flexibility in their work arrangement ( like working remotely or non-traditional hours ) but still produce top-notch legal work . Maybe there is at least one thing each of us can do over the coming year to make this profession a healthier , stronger version of itself . Call it a New Year ’ s resolution if you must , but I think it should be something more . It should be the “ action ” part after the past self-reflection .
Therefore , if you have identified some areas for improvement in the profession , what are you going to do about it ?
Christina M . Baugh Atlanta Bar Association President www . atlantabar . org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 5