Are lawyers becoming more unconventional?
Do you feel that, as a lawyer, you are already competent? Is there a standard for such competence? For a truly competent lawyer, there must be standards that are measurable. This article originates from Lawyer Meng Denggao’s blog and expresses the heartfelt sentiments of a rigorous and meticulous good lawyer. However, the editor feels there is no standardization. If you want to obtain the standards for a truly competent lawyer, come to LTT!
Because there are too many things to handle and I'm too busy, and also because I hope to go further in the legal profession, I felt I should set aside some time to strengthen my learning in order to develop towards higher-quality clients and more high-end business. So I decided to hire another salaried lawyer with some practical experience to help me manage daily affairs.
But once again, I found it very difficult to hire an assistant.
Since the job posting explicitly required candidates to have at least two years of practice experience, all the resumes received and candidates interviewed were people who had worked for several years and had certain practice experience.
First, the external image. At least one-third of the people were excluded for this reason. These people didn't look like lawyers; their attire was no different from most people in society. What I can accept is lawyers wearing formal attire, at least very neat and decent. A female lawyer's hair shouldn't be like a movie star's; I believe clients are generally unwilling to entrust business to such a lawyer, and lawyers are also reluctant to take such an assistant to meet clients. If requiring a shirt change every day is a bit harsh, at least the collar and cuffs shouldn't be dirty. A male lawyer should shave every day; a lawyer is not an artist or a laborer.
The next thing is attention to detail. Details determine success or failure. Many times, a small detail can sway the outcome of a case. But I have found that most lawyers do not attach importance to details. I called a female lawyer who had applied for a position, based on her resume. Before I could even speak, I heard a harsh and impatient voice on the other end of the line shouting: Who are you? What do you want? I immediately thought of the consequences if my assistant were to answer a call from the president of a client company in that tone. So I gently hung up. I scheduled an interview with a lawyer at 2:30 on a weekend. As it happened, I arrived at the office at 1:30, so I sent him a text message telling him I had arrived, not to rush him, but simply to let him know that it would actually be fine for him to arrive a little early. His reply was “2:30”—not a single word more! So I began to busy myself with the work at hand. In the end, he arrived at 3:00, without even sending a text message in advance.
Finally, there is professional competence. Many lawyers claim to be very familiar with labor disputes, yet when asked about key provisions of the Implementation Regulations and the Law on Mediation and Arbitration of Labor Disputes, they are completely at a loss, or even unaware that such laws exist—despite the fact that they have evidently handled several labor dispute cases. Many lawyers claim to have been drafting and revising large numbers of contracts and legal documents since their internship days, yet when asked about the basic approach to revising contracts and the issues that generally require attention, their answers are entirely off the mark. Many lawyers claim to have handled numerous personal injury compensation cases, yet when asked whether work-related injury and traffic accident compensation can both be claimed in Beijing, their answer is “it’s disputed.” When asked whether a migrant worker hired by a labor contractor at a construction site who falls and is injured suffers a work-related injury or ordinary personal injury, their answer is “without a labor contract, it’s an employment relationship.” These are all routine practice areas, and I consider them the basic skills of a young lawyer.
During my internship, I was fortunate to follow two mentors, both leading figures in the Beijing legal community. One of them still works in the same firm as I do, in the office next to mine. Perhaps because I received strict guidance from them back then, coupled with long-term exposure, I was greatly influenced by them in both conduct and work. It may also be due to my years of independent practice, relying on my own efforts to develop my business and build a client base, that I have never dared to slack off in any matter, big or small.
The process of a lawyer expanding their team is the process of breaking through business bottlenecks.
The lawyer I mentioned earlier who now works next door to me, my former mentor, has more work than he can handle and almost no days off. He has tried hiring more salaried lawyers to share the workload, but the results have not been good, and he remains the same as before, handling most matters personally every day, exhausted to death. I feel I am becoming more and more like him, which I do not want. Yet, in this feeling, I have gradually built up my business and slowly given all my time to work.
I know I am too much of a perfectionist, but I think it would be rather frightening for a lawyer not to strive for perfection. I have reluctantly let myself slowly become a "workaholic," yet I am powerless to extricate myself. First, I want to push my practice further forward—I treat my legal work as a lifelong career. Second, I truly enjoy the happiness brought by the results of my efforts, as well as the respect and praise from clients.
I feel that I am too demanding of both others and myself, and the more I do, the more exhausted I become. The feeling of loneliness is also growing stronger. Sometimes I ask myself, am I really a bit different?
