Lessons learned: Advice for the next generation of lawyers

The Supreme Court just released its notice to the successful 2022 bar examinees setting May 2, 2023 as the date for oath taking and signing of the rolls for new lawyers.

This means that results of the 2022 bar examinations will be released soon.

This brings me back to almost 20 years ago when my batchmates and I were waiting for the results of the 2003 bar examinations. Time really flies when you’re having fun.

To the next generation of lawyers, you will soon be taking your oath and signing your name in the roll of attorneys. Enjoy and cherish that moment, as this only happens once. In our law office, we have six barristers who are also waiting for the results.

After the celebrations and euphoria have subsided, most of you will be starting work as lawyers, that is, if you have not already started as underbar associates. Most new lawyers will probably end up in private law offices to gain experience and training. Allow me to share some advice from one lawyer to another:

Job hopping

Resist the temptation to move jobs after just a few months, because in most law offices, the longer one stays in a firm, the greater the chance of being promoted to partnership. In the corporate setting though, we see that jumping from one company to another may mean each move would be to a higher position in terms of rank and compensation.

My formative years as a lawyer were spent at the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALaw) and, at least for the time I was there, lateral hires of lawyers with two to three years of experience were rare. The Firm preferred to hire straight out of law school, train its lawyers and promote internally. At our law office now, we also prefer to hire new graduates or lawyers who have been working not more than one year elsewhere.

Of course if you sense that the firm you are with is not a good fit for you, then by all means, you may seek to transfer and change employment.

Which brings me to my next point, that is you are still young, and it is perfectly all right to make mistakes. Many mistakes may actually turn out to be valuable learning experiences.

Work ethic

After the hard work of law school, be ready to continue working hard. Showing up every day ready for work, and putting in the hours, is one of the most overlooked key ingredients for success.

When I was a new lawyer, I would make it a point to get to the office at 8:30 in the morning and I stay until at least 6:00 in the evening.

These days, it is not uncommon to find many young lawyers start their day past 9:30 in the morning and would like to leave the office at 4:30 in the afternoon.

I do recognize that going to the office early every day and putting in the long hours may seem out of touch with the times, considering that traffic is as bad as ever. Some members of our firm have complained that it takes them 1.5 hours to get to the office, and another 1.5 hours to get home. Add to that, the remote work set up is now widely accepted, thanks in large part to the pandemic.

One of our lawyers recently moved to a Makati-based law office, which allowed him to work remotely daily. I personally do not see law offices operating 100 percent remotely though.

My advice is, if you are able, spend more time physically in the office. The partners will probably be in the office every day and you will learn the most by interacting with them. Learning how the office is run is best done by personally being there to observe. On a practical note, you will probably get assigned the most significant cases simply by being physically present in the office, and this will give you the maximum learning and exposure.

Needless to say, you must choose the right place to work that will best help you advance your legal career. It must be a place with experienced lawyers that you can identify with as role models or mentors.

However, be careful not to limit your definition of success as purely monetary, such as how many cars, properties, or money in the bank your superiors have. Success also means having a good personal life, such as a happy family life, deep and fulfilling relationships with others, and the respect of your peers.

The organization that you choose must be a place that will provide you the best training and opportunities to learn, while being able to enjoy all these.

Collaboration = success

Perhaps it is a cliché, but it is often said that no man is an island, and that law is a matter of addition, not subtraction.

This is why it is important to learn to work well with others, but without losing your own identity. These days, in our interconnected world, cases and transactions are complex. Lawyers often have to work with teams which at times include persons with varied backgrounds.

Also, some lawyers have this belief that the opposing party is the enemy and must be treated with hostility. There was this famous lawyer who would regularly challenge his opposing counsel to a fist fight outside the courtroom.

In my experience, an opposing party or lawyer could be your client or collaborating counsel in the future. It is said that one of the highest compliments is that after the case, the other party, having been impressed with your skills and professionalism, approaches you to ask you to be their lawyer on another matter.

Empathy is essential

Clients will want to choose a lawyer who they believe genuinely cares about their case and their well-being. For client generation, this could even be more important than having more skills than the other lawyer.

Integrity is non-negotiable

Do not forget to always act with integrity. This is the quality of being honest and holding fast to your strong moral principles, consistently adhering to your values, and doing what is right even when it is difficult or unpopular. Closely related to that is that a lawyer must work for a reputation of having a word of honor, i.e. being able to commit to and keep your promises.

Integrity is also important in your personal life. There have been many lawyers who have had their careers and practice derailed due to extra-marital affairs and scandals.

Reputation is gold

This brings me to one of the most important assets a lawyer may have – his reputation. Having a stellar reputation is invaluable, as most clients who will engage your legal services are referrals, and they will look into your reputation not only as a lawyer but as a person. Thus, you must carefully cultivate your reputation.

Constant learning and ability to adapt

As lawyers, we know that the law is constantly changing and being updated. You must have an attitude that seeks knowledge and constant learning. As the years go by, lawyers must acquire new skills to remain relevant and competitive.

Over the almost 20-year span of my legal career, I have been witness to the different generations of lawyers and their unique set of characteristics. There are the Traditionalists, those born in the years 1922 to 1945, the Baby Boomers, born in the years 1946 to 1964, Generation X, born in 1965 to 1980, the Millennials, born in 1981 to 1996, and the current Generation Z or those born after 1997.

During my first year in ACCRALaw, we were about 15 new lawyers in our “batch.” It was the Firm’s policy that during the first year of employment, lawyers were not entitled to any leaves. And so none of us took a leave during that year. A few batches later, we heard that the younger lawyers were filing for vacation leaves after just a few months of working at the Firm. We were shocked and exclaimed to ourselves “pwede pala yun ?” not because we were resentful but because the thought of filing a leave never crossed our minds.

Lawyering is a service and a people-oriented profession and understanding the unique quirks of each generation will allow you to successfully navigate the legal profession, and work effectively with lawyers of all ages.

To those awaiting the results of the 2022 bar examinations, good luck to you all, and I look forward to meeting our new panyeras and panyeros.

(The author, Atty. John Philip C. Siao, is a practicing lawyer and founding Partner of Tiongco Siao Bello & Associates Law Offices, teaches law at the MLQU School of Law, and an Arbitrator of the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission of the Philippines. He may be contacted at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article belong to the author alone.)