Here are 25 inspirational quotes for young and old lawyers alike. We can all use a little perspective and breeze at our backs from those who went before us. . .
- “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
“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- “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
- “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
- “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
- “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
- “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
- “You’re not a lawyer when you graduate from law school. You\’re not even a lawyer after you pass the bar exam and you’re 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
- “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
- ” 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
- “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
- “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
- “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
- “w 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
- “I try to keep abreast of a wide variety of areas of the law, not just our primary practice areas.\” -John Roberts
- “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
- “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
- \”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
- “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
- \”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
- “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
- “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
- “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
- “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 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
- “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