3 www.loubar.org September 2024 “ PRESIDENT’S PAGE Welcoming the Newest Members of our Local Legal Community Bryan R. Armstrong LBA President We all got where we are in our careers with the grace and aid of others. Give it back. When I think back to middle and elementary school, I always remember the kids older than me: Charles Stopher, Joe Bilby, Jay Baribeau…. We have a natural tendency to look up to our elders. We wanted to be cool, good at sports or in my nerdy existence: on the quick recall team. We aspired to be like them. We wanted what they had or what we thought they had. We were impressed with their perceived successes and wanted it for ourselves. However, I don’t remember those younger than me as well. I cannot tell you how often I have been at a party, my kids’ school or dinner when someone who was just a class or two behind me will say that they know me. They’ll go on telling me a story, sometimes involving me, and I have no idea what they are talking about or who they are. Of course, I am ashamed and embarrassed by this. In August, the University of Louisville proudly welcomed a new batch of 1Ls. These students worked hard, graduating toward the top of their undergraduate institutions and studied hard for the LSAT. And newly minted admittees to the bar will be sworn in this fall. They look ahead to successful careers working towards helping others, extinguishing student loans, getting country club mem- berships, traveling and/or having a good life. All of them look up to us. We all need to remember that. We need to set and be the example for our newest colleagues. I know they do not look to us in awe when we bicker over objections to continuances or refusing to turn over obviously discoverable materials. They look to us to see that there is indeed virtue, honor and justice in the law. I have more than once seen older lawyers bully newer ones throughout litigation and before motion hour. A few took advantage of me when I was new to the bar. Do that at your peril. Those taken advantage of have a long memory and will practice with or against you for a long time. I never forgot. What goes around… Remember, they have the same license to practice law you do. Over the years, I have offered my mentoring services to University of Louisville Law and Bellarmine students. I love it. For those “lucky” enough to have been my mentees, they know it comes with a lot of free lunches, tons of advice and a sounding board. It also comes with introductions to practitioners in a field they may wish to explore. In addition, I counsel lawyers looking to break away from their firms and go out on their own, starting their own firm. I encourage you all to do the same. Take someone under your wing who is not related to you. Genuine interest and help in the career of someone not related to you feels amazing. It is a great way to build allies. Overall, you should do it because none of us got where we are alone. We all got where we are in our careers with the grace and aid of others. Give it back. I am proud the Louisville Bar Association offers free membership to Brandeis Law students and attorneys in their first year of prac- tice. I am even more excited about how many of them take advantage of this. What better way to get to know others outside your firm or government agency than becoming more active in the Louisville Bar Association. It will connect you to the broader legal community and maybe even gain you a little credibility in the eyes of your employer and opposing counsel. One of the missions of the LBA is, of course, professional excellence. Young lawyers, if you want what we have and are willing to go to any lengths to get it, contact us. 95% or more of all lawyers love talking about themselves and are willing to sit with you over coffee or in their offices and brag about their career paths. It might feel weird to ask a more experienced attorney about career advice, but we’ll say, “Yes!” I don’t know about you, but my favorite subject is myself. Finally, I know you just finished law school and passed the bar, but your work has not yet begun. For the most part, law school did not teach you how to practice. Be patient, learn… You’ll get there. My advice to judges is to be patient. I offer the same to practitioners. Give a little grace to our new colleagues; we were all young lawyers once. I/we all need to take the advice I give my kids when crossing the street: look both ways.
