Oregon State Bar Bulletin — OCTOBER 2002
| Parting Thoughts |
Every year at the Oregon State Bar’s annual convention, the bar honors its members who have reached 50 years of membership. In preparation for the luncheon honoring them on Oct. 5, we asked the members of Class of 1952 what advice they would like to pass along to today’s new lawyers. Here is some of what they had to say:
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The dean of the U of O Law School advised the 1952 graduates to always read the advance sheets and not just the head notes.
—Robert Abrams
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NEVER fake a fact — better to admit you don’t know. Your credibility with the court, and others, is absolutely central to being a competent and successful lawyer, serving clients well.
—Ernest Bonyhadi
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Know what the profession of law means. Practice it on clients and adversaries.
— Bertrand Close
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No one can prepare the perfect document alone, unless they themselves are perfect in everything they do. Any associate or secretary can improve your document. The problem in the law practice is that usually the client cannot afford complete perfection.
—David Harper
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A bar membership is as good or better than any MBA if you aspire to run a business. Never a day passed in my career that I didn’t use something from my legal background.
—Jonel Hill
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Be prepared!
—Scott M. Kelley
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If you don’t have ethics, you don’t have anything!
—Judge Charles Crookham
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Try to keep or develop a sense of humor in your practice of the law. Without one, the days can be very tedious.
— Floyd A Fredrickson
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Don’t make your client’s problems yours!
—Kenneth Klarquist
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The importance of patience — the favorable contacts you make today with other attorneys and clients are likely to pay dividends tomorrow (be it 5 or 10 years or more).
—William Love
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A good lawyer is a special friend of his client, serving as advocate but capable of objectivity and good judgment. Becoming a good lawyer is a moral achievement.
—James McCobb
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Continue your studies, attend CLE seminars and be informed on all new legal issues, statutory law and legal precedents.
—Albert Maffei
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No one wants to steal your troubles. No one can steal your good deeds.
—James Minturn
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Presently the legal profession is held in general disrepute. One of your purposes will be to conduct yourselves professionally and privately so as to dispel the misconceptions.
—Harold Patterson
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Realize that you don’t know a damn thing about practicing law. Lose the ego. (Women don’t have this problem, but men do.) Learn to listen to your clients. Lose the 'I’m superior because I am a lawyer' attitude – becoming a lawyer does not make you superior to anyone. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of older lawyers when starting out. That shows common sense (a virtue badly needed by lawyers). Don’t get caught up in the 60-hour week to get ahead and not have enough time for your wife and kids; they are more important than success and money. Keep a copy of this advice and look at it every now and then.
—Jack Sollis
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Never forget that you must put your client’s interests before your own so far as ethics require. Get your work out without procrastinating. Treat other lawyers with courtesy. Treat the judges with courtesy and honesty. Don’t expect to make a lot of money. Do not allow yourself to be ruined by alcohol or drugs. Prepare well! And, your word should be your bond!
—Carlotta Hendricks Sorensen