Lessons Learned: Reflections from a Retiring Lawyer

LESSONS LEARNED: REFLECTIONS FROM A RETIRING LAWYER By: John Eldridge

GRATITUDE

The value of gratitude cannot be overstated. Gratitude is the grease of life; it gives the daily routine a lift that it would not have otherwise. Think about it: have you ever NOT appreciated someone’s “Thank you”? And have you also missed a word of gratefulness when you do something for someone who then walks away without a “thanks”?

Beyond the daily need to express gratitude, lawyers have many other “gifts” for which to be grateful.

Think about your law license. Did you earn it on your own? In the words of Kevin in the movie “Home Alone, “I don’t think so!” Behind that law license are people who believed in you. Think about your parents, teachers, friends, counselors, even pastors from your youth and college years. A law license is a gift from many people over many years.

Before I went to law school, I lived in Chile, where there were many poor people. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I was out of college but not clear about my future. Finally, I figured out that I would be a fool not to return to the States and take advantage of the gifts showered upon me by parents who always believed in me and the host of persons who had assisted me through the years. And so, I returned to the States and went to graduate school, then law school. Sure, you worked hard for your law degree. You burned the midnight oil on more than one occasion, and you devoted yourself to being a law student for those years. But you can never forget all the folks in your life that prepared you for law school.

An attitude of gratitude should not end when you finish law school. It just may be the beginning of a lifetime of other gifts. You have the gift of your mentor and other lawyers who guide you down the path of something you haven’t done before. Plus, there are all the court clerks who help you and judges who don’t embarrass you when you don’t get something right. The judge who comes to mind is Chancellor John Weaver, who includes a friendly, “You need to add...” as he looks at your pleading. During my first trial, I second chaired a case with James A. H. Bell. Jim leaned over in voir dire and said, “you take Mrs. Smith, we are going to strike her anyway!” It’s funny, but still it was the gift of giving me my first opportunity to speak in open court.

The point of this column is simply to say: you may think that you have earned your position in this world, but you cannot ignore the host of people who helped you get to where you are today. Be grateful.