SLCBA: Justice Tongue update

If you are a member of the Salt Lake County Bar Association then you are likely familiar with “Justice Tongue,” a regular contributor to the Bar & Bench quarterly newsletter published by the SLCBA.  In the recent Bar & Bench, I found that Justice Tongue dispensed a bit of good advice to young lawyers (those “pampered, directionless, underachievers who would conceive that ‘managing partner’ is an ‘entry level position’”):

1. The practice of law is a profession, not a business.  (Debate ensues . . . which came first the chicken or the egg?  Does being a professional keep you in business or do paying clients?  Or, does being a professional guarantee you will have paying clients to keep you in business?  Or, does being a lawyer mean more than making money and if you actually make money at it you can call it a bonus and consider yourself lucky?)
2. You must always be proactive.
3. You will be paid for thinking, planning, researching, studying, and effectively communicating.
4. Your rewards and satisfaction in the practice of law will be in direct proportion to your commitment and effort.
5. Above all, retain your integrity.  (Amen.)