[00:00:00]
Scott Benton: Hey everyone, Scott Benton here. How are you? I’m 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 like to make the practice of law fun. Now today, in terms of working with the success cycle overall, which is something that we talk about on this podcast very frequently, in fact, what this podcast is built around, we’re going to take a look at the three pillars of success, which are communication, faith, and family.
[00:01:00]
Scott Benton: Today, in order to help assist your overall use of the success cycle, which is what we talk about on this podcast to help you learn and perfect the actual practice of law, a subject that’s not taught in law school, we’re going to take a look at the three pillars of success, which are communication, Faith and family so we’re going to take those one at a time by the way This was a subject that was discussed by another long term attorney who from his own experience Boiled success down to these three categories that I just thought would make a great podcast episode, and I hope you agree so from that context the first pillar of success is communication. [00:02:00]
Now, continuously improving upon your communication skills is crucial, and it should be prioritized for you because, especially in the legal field, communication is absolutely everything.
So whether you’re drafting a contract, or you’re presenting a case in court, or even talking to a client, your ability to communicate well in all communication capacities is, frankly, the difference between success and failure. So the next logical question becomes, Okay, then how do I improve my communication skills?
One way is through continuous practice. For instance, you can engage in public speaking opportunities. You can join debate clubs or a Toastmasters club. You can participate in moot court competitions. Activities like this will help you to better articulate your thoughts clearly and confidently.
Additionally, you always want to seek out feedback from mentors and colleagues. Now, constructive criticism is invaluable for growth. Now believe [00:03:00] me, it’s not always easy to hear, and sometimes it can be flat out difficult, or even just painful.
But either way, easy or not, you’re going to make significant strides in your ability to communicate, so one of the subcategories you can work on, if you’re not already good at it, and who’s good at it, is how to take criticism. That turns out to be a skill unto itself, and it’s worth pursuing. Another area that you want to work on developing is active listening.
Oftentimes we focus so much on what we want to say that we actually forget to listen to the other person. Active listening involves full 100 percent concentration on the speaker, understanding their message and responding thoughtfully. This skill is particularly important when dealing with clients. By listening carefully you can better understand their needs and you can provide more effective legal solutions.
And you want to be able to focus on them exclusively, like a laser beam. Okay, moving on to the second pillar, which [00:04:00] is faith. Now, faith can mean many different things to many different people, so there really is no one definition, and it’s usually pretty individualized. For some people it might mean a religious faith, and for other people it could be a strong belief in their values and their principles.
But whatever form it takes for you, maintaining and practicing your faith can give you a sense of purpose, connection, and direction.
Practicing your faith, however you define that, can also help you manage the stress and challenges that come along with the legal profession. Now, as I’m sure you probably know, the practice of law can be demanding and at times it can even be overwhelming. Having a strong sense of faith can ground you and provide you with the resilience needed to navigate challenging circumstances and remain true to your principles and to your values.
Finally, the third pillar of success is to focus on family. Working towards and maintaining strong family relationships is essential for a balanced life. [00:05:00] The legal profession often demands long, long hours, and it includes an intense focus on the legal services that you’re performing, which has the potential for straining personal relationships.
However, having a supportive family can provide you with emotional backbone and the support and stability to really thrive in your career. So you want to make sure to never let go of that bond and connection that you have with your family. Sometimes, with all the distractions and pressures of work that come with our ever busier and busier pressurized lives, Family connections can start to feel impacted.
So you really want to make a lot of conscious effort with your family. And as Shakespeare tells us in Hamlet, you want to grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel.
In other and more modern words, you want to make a point to spend quality time with your family. And while this might mean setting boundaries to ensure work doesn’t encroach on your family time, it could also involve being fully present and engaged [00:06:00] during those family activities. Remember, your family is your anchor that you need in order to recharge and face the many challenges of your profession. Okay, so these are the three pillars of success that are important to focus on. Now, with faith and family, you’re going to dramatically help underscore a successful and fulfilling legal career. On the other hand, continuously improving your communication skills will make you an even more effective attorney.
Practicing faith is going to provide you with resilience and an ethical grounding. And by maintaining your strong family relationships, you’re going to have all the needed support and stability to navigate the demands of the legal profession.
So maybe you can see why I thought these three pillars of success would help form a good discussion for this podcast. And I hope you find these insights helpful as you embark upon your legal career. Success in law is not just about mastering legal principles, it’s also about balancing your professional and personal life effectively.
And these three pillars of success will help you do exactly just that. I am [00:07:00] Scott Benton. I’m the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom podcast. Thank you so much for hanging out with us here on our podcast and for listening to this episode. 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 you can even inquire about our seasonal associate programs. We have available for law school students. You can come and work with us. And as always, don’t forget to share, like, and subscribe to stay on top of all of our newest episodes.
And until next time, we hope you’ll join us in making the world a better place, one client at a time.
[00:08:00]
