Keeping It Fresh
At the Legal Profession Blog, Jeff Lipshaw wonders whether it's natural to spend one's time "the same firm, doing the same kind of work, progressing in the level of oversight and client contact...." As a solo, I don't often feel that way, since I always have the opportunity to reinvent myself and my practice. Yet sometimes, inertia keeps me in the same place.
So I got to wondering what my solo colleagues do to keep it fresh. What do you do to ensure that you're always feeling challenged, that you're open to new possibilities? For a long time, blogging helped me keep my practice fresh, but after four years, blogging feels a little routine as well.
So readers, any ideas? Please post them below.
Carolyn,
I keep it fresh by always learning new things. Being a plaintiff's attorney in civil litigation there's *always* something new to learn.
The dynamics of public speaking
Design issues in presentation
Technology in the courtroom
Psychology of Jurors
Psychology of group dynamics
Negotiating Skills
Medical Issues
Boiling Issues to the Basics
Insurance Industry
and if any of those don't keep you busy learning how to run a better office should keep you busy for over a career and a half.
I'm lucky. For the most part, I have good cases, good clients and truly enjoy what I'm doing. I don't think I could ever get bored with it.
Beyond what Mr. Swanner mentioned, I keep it fresh with pro bono work in areas that I don't normally practice. In San Francisco, where I practice, the VLSP is good at providing the basics for various areas, as well as people who are ready and willing to assist practitioners who are new to a field of law.