How racing cars helps me keep my practice on track
By Jenifer Swanson
Since the very first time I went to a vintage car race as a little girl with my dad, I have been in love with the sport. My dad had a 1957 Corvette that he raced and I would go with him to every event to see him drive. As I grew up, I began to do more than just watch.
First, I was allowed to polish the car, then to check fluids and eventually to do small tune-up items. When I was about 12 years old, I told my dad I wanted to race too. He was more than happy to teach me to drive, but in order to drive, he explained, I had to first learn to work on the car. I had to be able to understand the car I was racing, and I had to be able to safely prepare it for the race. I find it supremely satisfying to prepare my own race car. In order to be competitive, each detail of the car must be examined. After each race, the car is inspected, and in the off-season we have a checklist of maintenance items to be completed. Attention to detail is paramount because even one overlooked detail can lead to disaster. The same is true in my legal career — I have to understand my client’s goals and how to prepare my case to meet those goals, and a failure in that preparation can lead to wrong results.
I learned this lesson in dramatic fashion the year my dad had sold his ‘57 Corvette and bought a ‘64 Corvette in its place. In order to prepare the ‘64 to be raced, it had to be completely dismantled; each component, down to each nut and bolt, was removed, inspected and replaced or reinstalled. Clearly, this was a long and time-consuming process. And we were under a deadline: the historic races at Laguna Seca in Monterey were fast approaching. As time grew short, it was “all hands on deck.” All of my dad’s friends were at his shop for what seemed like around the clock. I was there every weekend with my friend, Leslie, who always came to the races with us. We all wrenched on the car until it was finally ready. We were running a day late, but we were going to make it. We loaded the car up, drove to Monterey and unloaded late Friday night.
Saturday morning was the second practice session. We gave the car one more check, I suited up, jumped in and drove to pre-grid, where all the cars sat, engines revving, until, one by one, we were directed onto the track. The first few laps of the race, the car was running great. However, because I had never driven this car before, I was taking it easy, working out the kinks. As I approached turn five (a sharp uphill left-hand turn), I eased off the throttle and began to apply pressure to the brakes. But the brake pedal fell to the floor. Literally, the pedal fell off. The adrenaline shot through my veins as my mind raced to come up with a solution. Luckily, there were no other cars around, so I only had to worry about stopping myself without damaging the car. Still, I had very few options. I chose to downshift, using the engine as a brake. I was also counting on the fact that the track headed uphill so gravity would help. Still, I turned into the corner at a speed that I knew was too fast. In the best case scenario, the car would go into a controlled slide and scrub some speed. More likely, I would spin. But I was hoping in that case, the spin would stop the car. As expected, the Corvette started to slide. Then the rear end broke loose and I spun across the track. It must have been spectacular to see. I’m not sure how many times the car spun, but it came to a stop on the opposite side of the track, only inches from the concrete barrier.
When the tow truck came at the end of the race and the rescue workers asked what happened, I picked the brake pedal up off the floor of the car by way of explanation. Once the car and I were safely back in the pits, we all started looking for what went wrong. It only took a moment for my dad to notice the little clip lying on the floor of the driver’s compartment. That clip was supposed to slip on the end of the brake pedal, keeping it securely in place. Under a tight deadline to make the race, and given the massive amount of work that had to take place, this one tiny detail had been overlooked. All the major components worked exactly as planned, but this one little clip had almost caused immense damage.
That experience drove home what I had already known on an academic level — the smallest detail can make the biggest difference; one small clip forgotten can cause catastrophic failure. Understanding the big picture — how the car should perform and how the parts work together to achieve that performance — focuses our race preparation. However, we must still slow down and focus on the details, be sure each step is properly completed. A hasty preparation with even the tiniest missed detail can mean watching the race from the sidelines, instead of crossing the finish line. Precision makes the difference, and nothing takes the place of thorough preparation.
The same is true in legal work. Thorough preparation is the key to achieving results. Grasping the big picture — the client’s ultimate goals — will help you focus on the relevant preparation. But it is careful attention to detail during that preparation that makes the difference. Each legal piece must be examined and each step properly executed. To complete the metaphor, precision and forethought are the difference between a successful transaction and one that never crosses the finish line. My work is mainly transactional, so for me that means making sure that each step in a transaction is completed correctly and on time, that each deal point is properly addressed, that all the necessary paperwork is included and correct, that deadlines are met, and so on. For those who litigate, it could mean that each piece of evidence is reviewed, that each procedural step (especially the smallest technicalities) is followed, and that each argument is explored.
So, I keep this little clip on my desk to remind me how each time I pick up my pen, it is like picking up a wrench; I will go to work carefully, with precision, contemplating each step to be sure that we reach the finish line.
Jenifer Swanson is an attorney with California Business Law Group, PC.