Texas State Bar Leaders Presentation

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Defining Moment: Being a Leader

Who Makes a Difference

June 21, 2006

Cordell M. Parvin http://www.cordellparvin.com

Texas State Bar Leaders

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Defining Moment

Dr. Ossian Sweet

Gladys Sweet

Garland Street Detroit Michigan

“I have to die a man

or live a coward.”

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Defining Moment

Clarence Darrow

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Defining Moment

Judge Frank

Murphy

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Defining Moment

Michigan History Magazine July/Aug 1999

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Defining Moment

Challenging Exciting

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Defining Moment

The Bar’s Clients Are Its Members

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Defining Moment

The Bar is a Constant in Time When

Lawyers are Frequently Changing Jobs

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Defining Moment

Young Adults Join Organizations They

Perceive are Making a Difference

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Student Expectations

Find Meaning

Be Successful

In law school they will find:

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Student Expectations

Interesting Work Make a Difference

Seek Justice

In law school - learn how to be a lawyer

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The “Real World”

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The “Real World”

Focus on Cognitive Skills & Legal

Theory

Socratic Method

Teach to the Test

Prescribe the Curriculum

Impose Grade Curve

Offer Feedback Primarily via Final Exam

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Law School Teaches

Think like a

lawyer

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Law School Does NOT Teach

How to Practice Law

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Think like a

client

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Law Firm Business

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Get and Keep Clients

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Work With Senior Lawyers and Staff

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Prepare Real Legal Documents

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Present Your Position

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Law Employer Expectations

Intelligent

Hard Working

Professional

Desire to Learn

Healthy

High Energy

Young Lawyers

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Law Employer Expectations

People skills

Want to be a lawyer

Know what they want

Patient

Confident

Young Lawyers

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Reality from Law Employer Perspective

Young Lawyers

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Young Lawyers

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Young Lawyers

External Rewards Not

Internal Fulfillment

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Young Lawyers

Purpose Vision Values

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Young Lawyers

Learned “the science of

law,” not the “art of

lawyering”

Have “science of law”

skills, not “life” skills

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Where We Are Now!

Have Never Been Paid More and Been

Less Satisfied with Their Career

Young Lawyers

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Where We Are Now!

Johns Hopkins

University

Lawyers depression rate 3.6 times

higher than non-lawyers

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Where We Are Now!

Only half of lawyers surveyed would

become lawyers if they had a second

chance to decide

Rand Study

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Only half of lawyers say they

would choose career again

Where We Are Now!

June 27, 1995

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“Runaway Lawyers: Case Closed:

Attorneys Quit to Preach, Teach,

Find Happiness”

Where We Are Now!

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On Being a Happy, Healthy, and

Ethical Member of an Unhappy,

Unhealthy, and Unethical Profession

52 Vand. L.Rev., May 1999

Where We Are Now!

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LARAMIE -- today's lawyers are "an unhappy

lot" and many of them wish they had gone into

some other line of work, U.S. Supreme Court

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor told an overflow

audience in a University of Wyoming concert

hall Tuesday.

By W. DALE NELSON

Star-Tribune correspondent

Where We Are Now!

O’Connor: Lawyers “unhappy lot”

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Where We Are Now!

Too Much to Do - Not Enough Time

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Where We Are Now!

Clients Unhappy with Lawyers

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HERO

And Yet . . .

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State Bar of Texas Mission Statement

The mission of the State Bar of Texas is to

support the administration of the legal

system, assure all citizens equal access to

justice, foster high standards of ethical

conduct for lawyers, support and provide

services to its members, enable its members

to better serve their clients and the public,

and educate the public about the rule of law.

support and provide

service to its members, enable its members to better serve their clients

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Support and Provide Service to Members

What the Bar Can Do!

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Enable Members to Service Their Clients


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Mentoring for Law Students

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Mentoring for Young Lawyers

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Mentoring / Coaching

General career advice

Strategy for development

Lawyer life – what to expect

Goal setting and career planning

Real world experiences

Feedback and encouragement

What no one else will tell you

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It’s Up to Them

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Why They Want to Be a Lawyer

Purpose

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What They Want to Become

Vision

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Career / Life Planning Benefit

Well-Being

Life Satisfaction

Self-Esteem

Increase professionalism

Create greater enthusiasm for profession

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What Can the Bar Do?

Client Service Workshops Career Development Workshops

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PURPOSE

VISION

CORE VALUES

ROLES

GOALS

2006 PLAN

WEEKLY

PLAN

DAILY

PLAN

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Development Planning

Successful and Satisfied Lawyers

Clearly Understand Their

!!Purpose

!!Vision

!!Core Values

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Successful and Satisfied Lawyers

Clearly Understand Their

!!Energizing goals

!!A plan to achieve them

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Helping Lawyers Set Goals

•! Create a list

•! Ask Why?

•! Break It Down

•! Prioritize

•! Take Action

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I believe that this nation

should commit itself to

achieving the goal, before

this decade is out, of

landing a man on the

moon and returning him

safely to the earth. No

single space project in this

period will be more

impressive to mankind, or

more important for the

long-range exploration of

space; and none will be so

difficult or expensive to

accomplish.

64 Work/Life Integration


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How you spend non-billable

time will determine the

quality of your career



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Think Outside the Box!

Webcasts Family

Friendly

Podcasts Client

Service

Panels

Blogs

What can we learn about getting

better from Tiger Woods?

Texas State Bar Leaders Presentation

Education

Transcript of Texas State Bar Leaders Presentation