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Scott Benton: Hey everyone, Scott Benton here. I am the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast where we help you easily transition from a law school student into your professional career as an attorney and where we make the practice of law fun. And today we’re going to look at why continuous education and professional development are so crucial in the legal field and the role of continuous learning in a legal practice.
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Scott Benton: First off, let’s talk about CLEs or Continuing Legal Education. Now, as a new attorney, you’re required to complete a CLE hours each year. Now these are not just boxes for you to check off, they’re critical for staying updated with new laws, new regulations, and best practices. Now the legal landscape is constantly evolving, and CLEs are going to ensure that you remain at the forefront of all of those changes.
But CLEs are really just one part of the puzzle. Continuous learning goes far beyond fulfilling mandatory requirements. It’s really more about seeking out new [00:02:00] knowledge and new skills that can enhance your practice. So this could mean attending workshops, or reading the latest legal journals, or even watching YouTube tutorials on specific legal procedures.
The more you know, the more value you bring to your firm and to the legal services that you’re providing for your clients. Not to mention, the more confident you’re going to feel in your practice.
One of the more significant benefits of continuous learning is that it helps you stay flexible and adaptable. The law changes all the time, and so do the tools and the technologies that we use to practice law. So continuous learning means that you never fall behind, because that’s potentially really easy to do.
Continuous learning also involves improving both your strengths and your weaknesses. So everyone has areas that they excel in and areas where they could really use some help, but by focusing on continuous education, you can really turn your weaknesses into [00:03:00] strengths and make your strengths even stronger.
This is particularly important in a field like law, where even a small mistake could have significant consequences. Another aspect of continuous learning is building and maintaining strong relationships within your legal community. Whether it’s with colleagues inside your firm or mentors or peers from law school, these relationships are invaluable.
They can provide you with different perspectives and key advice and critical support as you navigate your career. So don’t hesitate to reach out to more experienced attorneys when you face a challenge. Their experience and the wisdom that they’ve drawn from just years of reflecting on their own strengths and weaknesses, and on their own successes and failures, that can be incredibly valuable information to anyone who’s willing to listen.
So don’t discount your opportunity to seek out feedback of others who are in the legal field, even if they aren’t practicing in the same area that you’re practicing in. Now let’s talk [00:04:00] about the concept of Kaizen. Kaizen is a word that you probably haven’t heard before, maybe you have, but it comes from the Japanese culture. It’s often attributed to the automotive industry and Kaizen means continuous improvement through small incremental changes.
Now, you want to apply this to your own legal practice by making tiny, almost completely imperceptible improvements every single day. Now, over time, these small changes really add up to significant progress. So, whether it’s refining your legal writing, or improving your public speaking skills, or becoming more proficient with legal technologies, These small, really painless incremental improvements can make a big difference in your overall competence and in your confidence.
In fact, there’s a great book by a writer named Darren Hardy called The Compound Effect that really goes into detail and explores this subject very, very well. And I’d highly recommend this book. I [00:05:00] think you’ll get a lot out of it if you pick it up and read it. So, as you can see, continuous learning is not just about merely meeting your CLE requirements.
It’s really about actively seeking out opportunities to grow and improve yourself, and improve your knowledge and your skill sets each and every day in small, painless, incremental steps. It’s about staying adaptable in the constantly changing field of law and building strong relationships that can support you all the way through your legal career.
So by committing to lifelong learning and becoming a lifelong student, not only will you become a better attorney, but you’re also going to enjoy just a much more fulfilling and successful legal career.
And don’t forget that one of the best ways to continually upgrade the information in your head is to read books. Now, a lot of the time, I’ve personally heard attorneys say to me that by the time they get home after work, after reading all day long, the last thing they want to do is sit down and read a book, which, it’s a fair argument.
[00:06:00] But I’m going to tell you this. There are plenty of attorneys who read books all the time. And if you’re able to do that yourself, then you’re already far ahead of all of the many attorneys who just don’t find time themselves to read.
But let’s say that you’re that person. And let’s say that the last thing you want to do is read a book when you get home at night after a long day of reading contracts and agreements and depositions and whatever else comes across your desk. The good news is that you can easily get the same information from the audiobook format, which allows you to listen to books instead of sitting down to read them.
And you’re still going to be able to absorb the same information while you drive or while you go for a walk or exercise. We’re really engaged in all kinds of activities around the house, such as gardening or cooking or cleaning out that spare bedroom that you’ve been meaning to get to. In this way, your ability to incorporate lifelong, continuous learning, even if you don’t read the books, can be easily accomplished and even [00:07:00] fun.
I’m Scott Benton. I’m the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast. Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out this episode. Now, if you like this podcast and you’d like to get more information about us, you can always go to our website at classroom2courtroom. com. That’s classroom, the number two, courtroom.
com, where you can send us a message to keep in touch or even inquire about our seasonal associate programs that we have available for law school students here at our firm. And as always, don’t forget to share, like, and subscribe if you’d like to stay on top of all the newest episodes. And until next time, we hope you’ll join us in making the world a better place, one client at a time.
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