04/23/2021
**Manifesto; Associate Wanted**
(This is long. I apologize. Executive summary: growing Tarrant County Arlington/family practice looking for an associate. Drop me a private message if you're interested :)
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About You
I am looking for a family trial associate, either a finished product or one in the making. You need to be the kind of person that is persistently advocating because it just who you are. I need someone with the moxie to be a courtroom lawyer. Because you absolutely can’t do this job unless you believe in your soul that you can, and that you are unfulfilled when you are not in court doing your thing.
I need you to genuinely care about people and their families, and have an interest in the subject matter of family law. I need you to bleed a little for our clients. I need you to treat other people like human beings. I need you to hate losing. I need you to go home and put this job to the side every night. I need you to be honest when you screw up. I need you to be cocky enough to believe you can actually do this for a living, but not be a know-it-all or insufferable egomaniac. I need you to understand that the firm getting paid is what enables me to pay you. I need you to listen and learn and speak up and shut up as necessary.
I need you to be creative, but also grounded in reality. We’re going to have our hearts broken, we’re going to get stiffed from time to time, and we may have our faith in humanity crushed occasionally. It’s part of the deal. Because we get to ride the white horse and do the right thing and be the righteous instrument of justice here and there. That's right, I said that. We are the good guys. Which is why you went to law school, yes?
Because there is nothing like the glory and personal satisfaction of winning a hard case for a deserving client.
I need you to want to be the best version of you possible. I need you to want to become a better attorney than me.
On a scale of 1 to 10, you are:
**Confidence **8+ -- You gotta believe you can do it, because if you don't, you can't.
**Ego **5-8 -- A healthy amount, but not too damn much
**Communication **7+ -- We are in the explanation and persuasion business.
**Fashion sense **4+ I simply need you to (a) look like a lawyer and (b) not be the subject of Walmart memes.
**Fire in the Belly /Moxie** 8+ where the rubber meets the road. You do want this, right?
**Integrity & Reliability 10** this is non-negotiable. I need to trust you with our client's lives; you gotta bleed fiduciary duty
**Empathy** 7+ We do this for other people. It's not about us.
Does this sound like you? https://www.1000manifestos.com/the-eight-virtues-of-bushido/
About me
I am loyal, goofy, honest, earnest, over-analytical, excitable, straightforward, a little thin-skinned, and sincere.
I'm a trial lawyer. I take winning cases to court. I believe that the quickest path to resolution (either in settlement or in court) is by preparing for trial and advancing the case forward.
I promise to be straight with you and honor my commitments to you. I’ll pay for your dues and books and normal CLE. I don’t care if you take off from work occasionally as long as our clients are handled and the firm is making money. I will always have your back. I will spend as much time with you as you need to make sure you succeed. We will have meetings here and there and go to lunch when we can.
I hate losing. This starts at the beginning; I try to take good cases for good people, and give sound advice and effective strategy. When I have a strong hand, I play it. When my hand is weak, I settle if possible or try to minimize the damage in a valiant effort. I am persistent.
When you win, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader. When you get your ass kicked, I’ll commiserate and plot revenge with you. I promise to leave you alone so you can work. I will bleed for you and when you hire on with me you become part of my family.
I promise to be as good a boss as I can be and to listen when you tell me that I’ve gone astray. I'm right a lot, but I've got my blind spots like everyone. When you tell me I’m wrong (and you better), I will laugh and listen.
About the practice
My clients are largely normal people. They spend what for them is a huge amount of money trying to resolve a serious family problem. My clients come from all walks of life, from different nations and faiths and orientations. We show them respect. They keep the lights on and you’d be surprised what you can learn from them about human nature, and why people do what they do.
I practice in Fort Worth and a little in the surrounding counties. People here value straight talk and showing up on time and being reasonably polite and dropping the bu****it. People here usually call each other before filing crazy motions and apologize when they lose their temper. Once you are accepted and trusted here, the judges will believe you when you tell them the dog ate your pleadings and opposing counsel will take you at your word. Our brothers and sisters in the Bar are our respected colleagues and adversaries and we mostly leave the drama and personal animosity at the door. You will absolutely have another case with your opposing counsel, and we all know who the (very few) jerks and liars are. I need you to not be one of them.
This is how we roll in Tarrant County. People here actually practice like those mythical lawyers did in the old days. It's true.
I try hard to be on the right side of my cases. I turn away bad cases, mostly. I do not apologize for being honest with people about their situations. They are paying me for my opinion.
Fortunately, most of the folks with bad cases don't care for straight talk and they usually go elsewhere, to eventually lose and then stiff their attorney. I try to not let that be me.
If you're a fit, I'd love to hear from you.
Gene
