How to Practice Law Successfully Simple advice from a fellow practitioner, 0815 RIBJ, RIBJ, 64 RI Bar J., No. 1, Pg. 9

• Author: Jeremy W. Howe, Esq.

How to Practice Law Successfully Simple advice from a fellow practitioner

No. Vol. 64 No. 1 Pg. 9

Rhode Island Bar Journal

August, 2015

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0July, 2015

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0 Jeremy W. Howe, Esq.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Satisfaction is characterized by inner peace. It arises from generosity, honesty and...ethical conduct.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0THE DALAI LAMA

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0I may be a dinosaur. My business goals are modest and my methods conservative. In this age of high-tech processes with demands for immediate delivery of services, we can get caught up in the rush of it all. We have become strangers to many of our more numerous brothers and sisters of the bar. I think the best way to cope with the new normal is to build a small but stable entity. I read long ago that the optimum number of lawyers for a small law firm is four to five attorneys from both a financial and a satisfaction viewpoint. I still believe this is accurate. My suggestions speak initially to lawyers who want to build a small law firm while enhancing their life in the process. Some apply to all lawyers. I've had more than forty years of lessons (successes and failures). The list is basic stuff about how to practice law in a manner that grows your business over time and promotes your happiness.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0The Law is a jealous mistress/master:

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0My rule is: Self first, then family and then law. If you are not centered or if your family wants or needs your attention, what will come from immersing yourself in your legal responsibilities? It might work in the short run, but unhappy lawyers or burdened lawyers tend to burn out. My rule also applies to partners, associate attorneys and staff. If any person in the office needs to focus on their health or on their family, then they must do so, and every person in the office must pick up the slack. Some of the best lawyers I know put law first. It's a choice. Like most of us, when I began, I worked long hours to get my career underway. Rhetorically I ask: "Over the long haul, can one work 60 or 70 hours a week and feel satisfied about their health and about the health of their family?" I can't, so I don't.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Pay your employees well: Long ago I read that employees are your most important business investment. Since then, I have...