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One September morning in 1959 Skagit County’s only two superior court judges, Charles Stafford and Arthur Ward, administered my taking the oath to become a brand new lawyer. Also taking the oath was  David Welts. There weren’t more than thirty-five lawyers in the county and less than 3,000 in the whole state. The practice of law wasn’t very complicated at that time. The state statutes fit in two binders compared with the volumes of law today. With rare exception there was no specialty law practice. Some lawyers seemed to have a large probate practice and others mostly a real estate practice, however, the overall majority of Skagit County lawyers had a broad general practice handling a great variety of legal work.

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I hadn’t been in practice long when it was clear some lawyers stood out as successful and outstanding lawyers. In addition, there were a handful of lawyers whose trial skills were notable. Every trial lawyer, at that time, represented both plaintiffs and did insurance defense work as well. I spent time getting advice and assistance from the exceptional lawyers who were happy to share. I attended as many trials as possible, especially when an out of town lawyer was involved. Over time I saw there were some primary common traits with regard to those who were the best lawyers. None of these skills were taught in lawe school or if they were, were not given the significance they deserved. These are some things I learned which seem obvious, but which are often not practiced by lawyers.

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The great lawyers had their priorities right. They had value systems which involved high ethics and honesty. Their word was binding enough without having to get putting it in writing. If they gave their word you could count on it and their reputation for honesty was well known.

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They were people oriented. They truly believed their role was to help clients who couldn’t help themselves. They really cared about their clients in the same a dedicated physician cares about his or her patients. In addition to having a grasp of basic business principles, interpersonal relationship skills also are essential to the successful practice of law. All of the legal knowledge in the world will do you and your clients no good if you cannot relate to one another. To effectively develop business and service a client’s legal needs, a lawyer needs to fully understand the problem or goal at issue.  They took the time to listen to their clients, kept them advised and charged fair fees. They had the ability to listen to the client’s concerns and devise possible solutions. They would explain the various options available in a language the client could understand. They could share empathy in sensitive practice areas such as family law and tort cases. Clients are looking for a lawyer they can trust and who cares about them and their legal problems.

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They believed in the importance of service to others. They were the ones who gave back to their community for the right reasons. They were active in community matters and in the bar associations as well. Furthermore, the commitment was genuine.. They stayed active in local, county and state organizations. In addition, every lawyer’s obligation to provide pro bono legal services.

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They recognized there were some cases that were beyond their skills and should be referred to other lawyers. Their referral recommendations were not based on the size of a referral fee. In fact, referral fees were generally nonexistent. They referred to the best qualified lawyer for the client. They recognized the importance of a trusting relationship with clients and if it was obvious that wasn’t going to be possible, they referred the case to a qualified lawyer or declined the case.

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They knew the value of their work and if the fee arrangement was a client issue, they declined

the case unless it was a pro bono situation. They recognized that they should be paid for their

work. They used engagement letters, and fee memos clearly spelling out the client’s obligations.  It allow

the client to decide whether or not to proceed with the arrangement or not.

6.  Mistakes and failure while learning new things is critical to Success

Fear of failure is endemic in the legal profession. Lawyers become afraid to fail because they don’t want people to see them make a mistake. Perhaps people will laugh at you if you try and fail.  Perhaps you will make an honest mistake with a client and have to fix it. But, if so, you soon realize that it’s not the end of your professional world. Quite frankly, most people don’t care what you do as long as you don’t hurt others. As lawyers, we all have our own professional and personal challenges to worry about and we’re just not that concerned about yours!

A basic knowledge of business concepts is essential to a successful law practice. Even if you did not take business courses in college, you may need to take at least a course in accounting or business for lawyers. A successful lawyer runs a business wise successful law office. Maintain accurate client and financial records.

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They had good client habits such as doing client work accurately and timely. They always return client communications promptly and on the same day. Their fees were clearly explained to the client before undertaking the work and their charges were fair for the good work they provided the client.

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They made an effort to learn from the best of their legal competitors. They practiced adopting the successful ideas and procedures of other lawyers that had proven benefit

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They kept abreast of helpful technology to improve the efficiency of their legal office and legal practice. . They attended legal seminars and put good ideas they learned into practice.

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CONCLUSION

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A successful law practice involves more than knowledge of the law. We should study successful law practices, attend seminars and learn the rules for a law practice that is a success not only in the court room but in the office operation as well.d