10 RULES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL LAWYER

James Gray Robinson has penned this down in the mid of 2019. He is a third-general trial attorney who served North Carolina for 27 years to retire and now gives consultation services. He was always surrounded either with lawyers or hearing about legality. He has endured many challenges while preparing for his Bar Council. All his hardships have only made him pen down a few guiding tips/rules on how a person can become a successful lawyer, irrespective of their age. 

1. Do not be surrendered to your past – Don’t be pitiful towards yourself when it comes to your past. Everyone faces highs and lows in life in order to attain a supreme position. Remember, all the hardships and struggles you overcome will only help you evolve and grow alongside the experience. True leaders are those who accept the facts of their life and moves ahead. Do not be a prisoner of your past, move on with the correct mind-set for it will only benefit you.

2. Be watchful of your words – This is a vicious circle. For you to pronounce polite words is a cycle in itself. It would be best if you practiced healthy eating, as it drastically affects human moods. And to be in a good mood, you need to feed healthy and good. Make sure you don’t utter words or sentences that you should not either to your client or colleagues, making you feel worse about yourself. Don’t give yourself a chance to regret about any event that should not have occurred in the first place. Therefore, be mindful of what you eat and how you behave. 

3. Health & Happiness over Money - Health and happiness can be constant if you wish, whereas money, on the other hand is not, no matter how rightfully you earn. If you have good health, you also have the willingness to earn. On the other hand, if you have money, but poor health, you will lack the motivation to do anything in your life as your health will be a major obstruction. Wealth won’t be enough if you don’t have health and happiness in your life. Therefore, people now a days should understand that it is always advisable to die, having many friends rather than a lot of wealth. Wealth is a necessity until it becomes an obsession.

4. Meditate – Lawyers life is the one that has a lot of thinking and pondering upon to do, i.e. the mind never rests. We are trained to think, analyse, anticipate and get solutions. Our brains function 24*7 and that can lead to stress. To avoid stress and constantly plan for the next step, we should remove at least 10 minutes out of our busy schedule and just detach ourselves from the outer world and breathe. Meditation helps in multiple aspects such as it increases self-awareness, increases optimism, patience and tolerance levels and much more. Meditation rejuvenates oneself. 

5. Honesty over everything – Honesty is one such trait that everyone admires irrespective of how it is delivered or served. While seeking for a lawyer, a client or colleague will always see this as a top priority. They might dislike you for being too blunt while confronting honestly or a little aggressive, but they will secretly admire you for your honesty.

6. Striking Balance – To be a successful lawyer, you need to focus and strike a proper balance between your personal and professional life. Family, health and your emotional quotient have to be parallel always.

7. Benevolence – You don’t necessarily have to be rude while attending someone or proving a point across. We can do that just by subtle kind non-hurtful words. There is no need to threaten anyone to make your point. Be benevolent and choose the right set of words. Keep in mind all of the above to progress in your legal career.

8. Change is the only constant – To keep pace with the ever-changing world scenarios, you have to be well acquainted with updated knowledge and techniques. When change hits, don’t resist but embrace it, and you will have to face lesser distractions in life. Whenever life gives you chances, take it and enjoy that journey, be it leaving one firm for another, or changing your specialisation, or anything, just never be afraid of taking a leap.

9. Control your emotions, or it’ll control you – The human mind is capable of anything right from something supreme to something bizarre. Usually, many people are unaware of what their minds can be capable of when they are not thinking of something positive, which only lead to a life full of misery and uncertainties. Know when to control your emotions, when to think of best-case scenarios and worst-case scenarios. Application of appropriate knowledge at the right time is what comes only through enough experience and practice. If you are depressed or stressed, seek some friendly or medical help to loosen you up a bit.

10. Being a lawyer is an award – It is not everyone’s cup of tea to be a lawyer. We choose to be one, not that we were drafted. If at any point you feel you aren’t capable of practising law, embrace the fact and switch to other profile. If you continue without having a zeal, you will only start drowning. It’s always gold and glitters when you win a big case, but the real test is how you deal when the roads are rough. Use this life wisely, for you only have one small life with unstoppable desires to achieve. 

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