Happy August, New Lawyer Division members! I hope you are having a great summer so far. As Co-Editor in Chief of For the Record, I want to thank you for reading and your continued support of our publication.
Imagine this: You are a civil attorney, and your client finally receives a favorable ruling on a hard-fought motion in state court. You excitedly call your client and celebrate with your colleagues. You relax your shoulders knowing all is well, at least for the day.
The American Bar Association (ABA) recently published an ethics opinion addressing the use of listservs to seek assistance regarding a legal issue on behalf of a client.i While some have pondered why the ABA would choose to address this antiquated modality in 2024, the rationale behind the opinion is nonetheless useful when assessing the application of Rule 1.6 (client confidentiality) to more current modes and methods of communication for seeking assistance on behalf of a client. (CA Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.6.)
The New Lawyer Division (NLD) had the privilege of collaborating with the Intellectual Property and Civil Litigation Sections to host the “Say Hello to Summer” social networking event. At the event, Taneashia Morrell, Board of Director, Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Division and the Immediate-Past Chair of the Intellectual Property Section, said a few things about collaboration that really stuck with me. She said just like it costs you nothing to be kind to others, it costs nothing to collaborate with others. It reminded me that one of the biggest lessons I learned during my time with the San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA) is that collaboration is a key reason why NLD and the SDCBA are successful.
Michelle Mitchell is a San Diego-based Trial Attorney at Portfolio Recovery Associates with over 20 years of experience in civil litigation. As a trial attorney, she values the importance of weaving evidence into a story as part of the litigation process, providing a wide range of valuable assets to high-level exposure cases from start to finish.
Oddly enough, many lawyers forget this very important point somewhere along the way of working on a matter and it can get them into a lot of hot water. It is so important to the practice of law that it is the second of the Rules of Professional Conduct [1](“RPC”) and it requires the practitioner to define the scope of a lawyer’s representation and the allocation of an attorney’s authority to act on behalf of a client.
Happy Summer, New Lawyer Division colleagues!
In the first few years of practicing law, it is easy to focus solely on the hard skills associated with this profession. For most new lawyers, it is essential to focus on developing strong research and writing skills that will serve as a foundation from which to grow. The first few years are an endurance race—for each new task, a new lawyer must spend time learning the facts of the case, the law, the procedure, or the firm’s methods. Only then, can the new lawyer move on to actually completing the task. The learning often takes just as much time as the doing. Of course, you cannot bill the client for the hours you spend learning, so the days stretch well into the evenings. With schedules dictated by looming deadlines, it is often difficult to imagine voluntarily adding any more work to your plate. Many young lawyers are so focused on building the hard skills that they lose out on incorporating soft skills into their legal foundation. Soft skills are not the focus of law school or the bar exam, so they may not get the attention they deserve, but those who devote time and energy to developing those skills early have an advantage. Whether it is client management, communication, teamwork, or networking, soft skills make you a better lawyer. At work, many of these soft skills are reserved for the supervising attorneys, but networking is beneficial and accessible to all attorneys.
Gomez Trial Attorneys recently hosted an inspiring event, the Shades of Success Summit, at their office on 755 Front St. This unique event was created in collaboration with various aspiring networks and diversity bars of San Diego County. It provided a platform for renowned local attorneys to share their experiences and inspire future law students, current law students, and new attorneys in training.
Hello! My name is Lillian (Lilly) Glenister and I am currently the Co-Editor in Chief of the New Lawyer Division’s (“NLD”) monthly newsletter, For the Record. I want to thank each of our readers for their continued support, as well as our NLD and San Diego County Bar Association members who have contributed amazing content this year.
