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Years from now, when you do look back, you
might only vaguely recall the sense of uncertainty that you likely feel
right now. Given the precarious state of the economy, I am sure a great
number of you are concerned about your futures and how you will cope
with such a daunting time in which to begin a legal career. Every day,
it seems that we are reading stories about layoffs at law firms, where a
few years ago, the idea of lawyers actually losing their jobs was
preposterous. This, however, is today's reality.
But I would urge you not to feel devalued
by this economy, nor should you feel that all of your struggles and
sacrifices to become a lawyer have been for naught. If there ever was a
time not to lose hope or faith in your future, today is that day.
Remember that today is just a snapshot in time – capturing a moment that
will pass. The promise of this great country that rewards those who
strive to achieve has not disappeared but has only been untracked for a
short time relative to the rest of your lives. Do not let these
momentary conditions upset your long term goals and aspirations. While
you may need to adjust your path in the short term, remember that the
reasons that you strove over the last few years to attain the position
as a member of the law profession has not changed. Will Rogers once
said: “If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple: Know what
you’re doing. Love what you’re doing. And believe in what you’re doing.”
Ladies and gentlemen, each and every one
of you already has written two chapters of your success story. You have
graduated from law school and have passed the bar exam. You don’t
accomplish that without knowing what you’re doing. The drive and passion
for the law is within each and every one of you. Why else would you have
endured law school and the bar exam? The very fact that you are here
today to take the attorney’s oath is evidence that you believe in what
you’re doing.
Of course, I can’t say for sure whether
you will or will not have a difficult time finding a position and, if
you have found one whether it will be there tomorrow. It is difficult
not to feel nervous these days. As you may already know, there are no
guarantees of anything over the course of one’s lifetime. I can also
tell you that my own experiences have provided me with an insight that I
hope will have some meaning for you.
In 1977, after practicing for two years
in Massachusetts, I married and moved to Connecticut. I set out looking
for a job. But, much as now, there were few jobs to be had, and I
managed to schedule just a few interviews. Even those few interviews
held out little possibility of employment as most law firms were unsure
as to the depth and scope of the economic problems. I had no choice but
to take a job that required me to work from ten at night to six in the
morning counting inventory in large retail outlets. Not exactly my idea
of an invigorating start to a legal career. But taking that job allowed
me to continue searching during normal business hours for a job in my
chosen profession.
Meanwhile, my father-in-law suggested
that I meet with a friend of his who was a patent attorney just to get
his advice. I was neither qualified, nor desired, to be a patent lawyer.
Well on the appointed day, I walked into
Attorney Donald Hayes' office, he shook my hand and immediately noted,
“My God, you’re depressed and you’re telegraphing it.” I hadn't
recognized it but he was right.
He told me I couldn’t give up. That yes,
times are tough, but they get better. That what you do is survive and be
resilient. That you need to be creative and direct your energy toward
reaching your goal rather than letting outside forces take over what
control you do have over your own life and direction.
I didn’t walk out of Attorney Hayes’
office that day with a job. I did, however, walk out with a renewed
sense of purpose. You might wonder if I landed a law job shortly
afterward. Well, I can tell you that I did not. It took some time but I
did land on my feet.
You have that same power over your own
lives as you sit here today. No matter what hurdles you face today, or
that you will encounter in the future, you have the ability to move
ahead and excel – provided you have the spirit and the energy to believe
in yourself.
I can also promise you that these
experiences will serve you well as you begin representing the many
different people who will come to you for help.
You should know, if you don’t already,
that many of these people are desperate, angry, fearful and distrustful.
They may be losing their home, their business, their partner, their
children or their freedom. Some may be mentally ill or living in poverty
that defies explanation. And, amid all of this baggage, more than a few
of them will expect you to produce miracles rather than real-life
solutions. The tough times that you experience and the struggles that
you endured to get to this point in your life may allow you in some
small way to at least begin to understand the enormous sense of
frustration, fear, or even anger that they feel.
Moreover, you will be able to handle
those mercurial and emotion-driven moments because of your experiences
learning how to survive during adverse times. Your frustrations will be
tempered by the creativity you developed when you forced yourself to
think outside of the box because you had no choice. And you will be a
better lawyer because of the patience and empathy that you will learn
while facing your own obstacles.
In other words, all of your life’s
experiences, good and bad, will make you a better lawyer. These lessons
are not learned in law books. Today, I urge you to seize the substance
of your experiences and to use it to enrich the wisdom that you
undoubtedly will discover and cultivate over the years. In the meantime,
do something worthwhile to enhance this proud and noble profession: for
example, call your local Legal Aid office or local bar association and
ask if you can volunteer to help clients pro bono. Nothing says you have
to wait until you have a job to make a difference in someone’s life –
especially in the lives of those who are desperate or disenfranchised.
Nor can I think of a better way to network with colleagues your age and
to benefit from colleagues who have more experience.
This year, we celebrated the bicentennial
of Abraham Lincoln’s birth in February 1809. As we all know, his career
prior to the presidency was “attorney at law.” We also know that this
man’s life was anything but a cake walk; that he faced adversity almost
from the start of his all too short time on Earth. I would suggest to
you that we can learn from his determination, despite the odds, and go
on to accomplish deeds and actions bigger and more significant than we
ever imagined.
I don’t want to keep you any longer. Many
of you undoubtedly have plans today, and listening to a long speech
probably is not high on your “to-do” list. So I will leave you lastly
with this thought from George Bernard Shaw: “The people that get on in
this world are the people that get up and look for the circumstances
that they want and if they can’t find them, they make them.”
Congratulations again to you and your
families, and thank you for the honor of addressing you as you craft the
circumstances you want and write the next chapter of your life.
On behalf of the Supreme Court and the
Judicial Branch, I welcome you as members of the bar of the State of
Connecticut.
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