CBA Record July-August 2025

THE BEST (AND MAYBE THE WORST) ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED AS A NEW LAWYER BY MEMBERS OF THE CBA RECORD EDITORIAL BOARD The pathway through the legal profession is often shaped by the wisdom, or lack thereof, passed on by supervisors, colleagues, and men tors. Some of the best advice emphasizes the importance of maintaining integrity, being honest with clients even when delivering bad news, and always prioritizing preparation. On the flip side, some of the worst counsel includes suggestions to prioritize billable hours over client well-being, to disregard mistakes, or to engage in unprofessional conduct that burns bridges and damages one’s reputation. The CBA Record’s Editorial Board is pleased to share key advice they received as young lawyers. If you have advice in either category that you’d like the Editorial Board to consider for publication, send a note to CBARecord@Chicagobar.org. 1 Make your colleagues’ lives easier Remember that we are in a service-based industry that pri marily relies on relationships and reputation. For bosses— Being a successful advocate has as much to do with acting as the intellect. BEST ADVICE

—John Levin, GATX Corporation (ret.) 5 Move swiftly when litigating really wants just one thing: for it to be over with. —Richard Lee Stavins, Of Counsel, Buchalter 6 Go home When I was a young lawyer with a young family, I worked with some great lawyers who had founded their firm after splintering off from a much larger one. I thought I needed to stay late and bill, bill, and bill to have success like they had. One of the managing partners pulled me aside and told me that it was time to go home. She knew how important it was to be well rounded in personal as well as professional life. — Kevin Thompson, Partner, Levin Ginsburg 7 If you think writing is easy, you are not writing well This advice came from my college history advisor, but it relates just as well to the law. We communicate most often in writing—whether it is in a brief, letter, or email. Saying what we mean is hard. Making others understand it is even harder. Leave yourself time to edit, read and copy good writing, welcome feedback, and keep practicing. Writing is a joy, but one born of hard work. — Kathleen Dillon Narko, Clinical Professor of Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law 8 Your supervising partner is your first client Before joining law school, I worked in professional non legal environments. There, I was accustomed to following the workflow set by managers. Based on that experience, I initially viewed supervising partners as managers. Subsequently, though, I was unsatisfied with the bite-sized tasks I was regularly assigned in a law firm. However, after I received advice to treat my supervising partners as clients and began treating them that way, I found that they entrusted me with more meaningful assignments. —J. Kopczyk, Attorney at Law The best advice I ever received as a lawyer was this: Always remember that every client involved in litigation always

simplify, summarize, and streamline your work product. For peers—share relevant legal updates and workplace efficiency tips. For junior attorneys—disclose workplace cultural rules, trans fer your technical knowledge, and provide feedback often. For staff—make requests kind, clear, and complete. Your attitude and actions are your biggest assets and liabilities. —Ted Kontopoulos, Attorney at IRS, Associate Chief Counsel (International) 2 V isit the scene Being rusty in the practice of law, I reached out to CBF Board member and Quarles & Brady Health Litigation partner Randy Fearnow, who said, “A veteran prosecutor advised me on my first solo felony prosecution by telling me I should always visit the scene. This meant driving out to the scene of the crime and nosing around a bit.” This tip has served both me and Randy well: Randy in his defense of nursing homes, and me in being able to argue persuasively against summary judgment in slip-and-fall cases. —Cliff Gately, Senior Business Development Manager, Quarles & Brady 3 Be poised and speak clearly It’s true confession time with a few tips especially for women: “never let them see you sweat.” Consider slow ing your rate of speech and lowering your voice a bit. This one is personal to me, as I tend to sound a bit yappy when I am trying to hit an evidentiary home run. Slow and steady diction often improves my presentations, inside and outside the courtroom. Poise and professionalism are key, even if I have to fake it before I can make it. —Rosemary Thompson, Attorney at Law 4 Act with confidence when negotiating The best advice I ever received was that when in meetings or negotiations and unsure of your bargaining power or legal position, acting with confidence and assurance is equally (if not more) important than having the facts and law on your side.

32 July/August 2025