A First Year Lawyer Reflects About Career, Colleagues, and Commitment
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Posted By: Miles & Stockbridge
Category: M&S Stories
This time the office with my name on the door is not a temporary perk between semesters – this time it’s a keeper.
After three years of law school, countless hours with bar review, and a two-day marathon of testing, I became a practicing lawyer. And to my good fortune, that came as a lawyer at Miles & Stockbridge.
Any transition from law school into a legal career would share some commonalities. Law school hones analysis of cold cases, emphasizes historic trends, and touts the nuances of legal theories. The real world is about shaping solutions and arguments for unique and dynamic legal issues facing real people. As a result, the casebook gets shelved, and the problem solving skills come out. All of this would happen in most legal professions I can imagine.
But by now I’ve had nearly six months to reflect on work at Miles. And what keeps me thrilled is that all around me are people passionately devoted to what they do. Every element of that description has something significant. First, the people: I am continually impressed by the individuals who are now my colleagues. From their diverse interests and talents to their dynamic personalities working as a team, they are people who are genuinely good to be around.
And they are also passionately devoted to what they do. My colleagues at all levels are engaged and determined to achieve the best possible solutions for our clients. This means we treat our clients’ issues as our own, get involved in their work, and then apply the legal skills honed by years of practical experience.
Finally: what we do. This is a profession, one in which my colleagues are intensely knowledgeable and serve as awesome mentors in building legal skills. The enthusiasm is pervasive. It’s not just enthusiasm for scoring a big win or beating the other side. It’s enthusiasm for working as a team and being leaders in their given field. The result is a collaborative and highly competent work environment.
These six months with Miles make law school feel pretty far away. But the learning hasn’t stopped since graduation – in fact I’m sure I’m learning even more now. And this, a place with outstanding people passionately devoted to what they do, is a great place to be.
Warren Hedges is in his first year of practice at Miles & Stockbridge as a Labor & Employment Law lawyer. In May 2009, he graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was Executive Editor of the Virginia Journal of Law and Technology. A Peace Corps veteran, Warren spent two years volunteering in the country of Georgia. He remained in Georgia for a number of years, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the leading English newspaper in Tbilisi, Georgia.
