OUTSIDETHECOURTROOM
OUTSIDETHECOURTROOM
— MEMBER SPOTLIGHT —
CADE PARIAN The Parian Law Firm , LLC • Carrollton , Georgia
You Were Born to Boogie By Cade Parian
“ You have to pay your dues .”
“ The ordinary attorney works 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday thru Friday and 7:30am to 12:30pm on Saturdays . Take care of Jesus on Sunday morning and come back to the office .”
“ I never had time to have kids . I was solely focused on making partner and being the best lawyer I could be .”
I ’ ve heard every single one of those words come out of a lawyer ’ s mouth in my career . The last quote came while I was driving the senior partner of a large products liability defense firm around north Alabama inspecting McDonald ’ s fry cookers . What a life ! I almost quit on the spot and went back to selling electrical supplies .
What is it with the legal profession ? I am sure there are other jobs where people think they will get a blue ribbon for working their lives away . It just seems more magnified in the legal world . I have yet to see a tombstone that says “ Best Attorney in the World .” Even if there is one , who cares ? You ’ re dead .
Live a little . No wait . Live a lot . You get a limited number of breaths in life .
Mental health is a recent focus for many state bars . There is a reason . There are too many crazy lawyers .
We must take good care of ourselves for our families . Yes , you are even a better lawyer for your clients when you take good care . There is no shortage of recommendations on self-care .
To make this article all warm and fuzzy , I could regurgitate quotes from the latest mental health books or sound fancy by quoting some Greek and Roman philosophers . I think that taking care of yourself is much simpler . Here ’ s the summation : Get Your Ass Moving ! I don ’ t mean signing up for the gym or deciding to hike the entire Appalachian Trail . ( Both good ideas though ). Moving from the convention hall to the lobby bar is not what I mean either … ( Usually not a good ending ). I mean movement of life in general .
The definition of move is “ to go or pass to another place or in a certain direction with a continuous motion .” What is your continuous motion moving towards ? The answer should be towards something that improves you .
You don ’ t have to be perfect . As trial lawyers , we are competitive by nature . Perfection and the self-critical thoughts that come with it cause a lot of our mental strife . Just get the answer right most of the time .
These improvements can be minimal . I am a “ Go Big or Go Home ” kind of guy . Any of you who have drank with me know that I was born sans off-switch . Over the last four years , I have actively worked on racking up small victories . The results have been unbelievable .
I ’ ve lost a whole bunch of weight getting the answer right most of the time . I ’ ve completed long difficult hikes getting it right most of the time . Most of all , my life has slowed down and become manageable by getting the answer right most of the time .
The Trial Lawyer x 11