WVBA President Robert Fisher Shares Quarterly Message

WVBA President Robert Fisher Shares Quarterly Message

By: Robert D. Fisher, WVBA President

Power. It's a heavy word, one that carries weight when you say it. And it’s not a word that attorneys use in everyday conversation often when describing themselves, but it’s a word that is attached to our profession, for better or for worse.

Power is something that comes immediately when you become an attorney. When you take that oath and walk out of the Supreme Court, you have acquired a power that few others have. The power to file lawsuits that can have rippling impacts on future generations. The power to make right the wrongs people have had visited upon them. The power to ensure that the last wishes of the dying are carried out to their specificity. When you are accepted as a member of the West Virginia Bar, you acquire immediate power, and you have to decide how you are going to use it.

Some people would say that attorneys wield power like Thor's hammer, just bringing it down on whomever they see fit. And yes, some people use power to rule others, to the detriment of those being ruled. But more often than not, the power that attorneys wield is done to help those around them, and the more that you as an attorney use your inherent power for the good of your community and profession, the more that power grows.

In my mind, the most powerful attorneys have the following key characteristics: a good attitude, courage, aspirations, the desire to give, the desire to mentor, and knowing how to properly measure success.

A good attitude is a fast way to increase your power as an attorney because by showing a positive attitude, you'll inspire others around you to be positive as well. One of my favorite quotes by Charles Swindoll is "People who inspire others see bridges at the end of a dead-end street." (appropriate for us real estate attorneys!). If you believe something can happen, then you have the power to rally people around you, so your good attitude will bring good power.

Having courage is another way to build your power as an attorney. You need guts to do the things we do, when so much of what we do means choosing sides. Your goals for a case are not your adversary's goals, and you must stand your ground and be passionate when faced with that adversity. It also means taking chances with your career: maybe you finally run for county prosecutor after years of working as an assistant. Maybe you take a risk and start your own firm after years of practice in a large, nationwide law firm. Or perhaps you decide to hang out a shingle in a small town and take a pay cut because setting your own hours is worth more than money. With courage comes power, the power to advocate well for your clients, but also to define what kind of career will make you a happier attorney.

Without aspirations, there is no hope of strengthening your power. When you allow yourself to become complacent with your career, you lose your desire to learn. Some people stop aspiring because they fear the setbacks that can come with failure when trying to reach those goals. It's important that you reframe your response to failure, instead looking at failure as a teachable moment. Learn from your prior attempts, then reach for that goal again.

One of the best ways to increase your power as an attorney is to give back. Let the community see the good attorneys can do for them, not just as officers of the law, but as people with skills that can be of aid in lots of different situations. Join the boards of your local development authority, library, or Main Street. Become a volunteer for your local school system as a Read Aloud reader. Sponsor a little league team, or help high school kids attend leadership camps. And while it's important that the community respect our profession and understand that we should be paid for our knowledge, expertise, and time, it's equally important you help those who can't afford to pay. Give an occasional talk to retired people about estate planning or volunteer to answer phone calls through Legal Aid. If you take this power that you've been given as an attorney and use it to build up your community, you'll find your power building in a way that adds value to the community you serve.

A powerful person should also be someone who desires to share that power through the art of mentoring. Mentoring is indeed an art. Ask anyone who has ever had a bad supervising attorney! Not everyone is cut out to be a mentor, and that's okay. But for those of you possessed with the art of not only being able to teach all those attorney skills they won't teach in law school, but also being possessed of that giving nature where you truly enjoy sharing that knowledge and training the next generation, you possess power in a way that massively affects our profession. You, and the good mentors that came before you, help continue a grand tradition of good attorneys here in West Virginia, and hopefully, good mentors.

And finally, the most powerful attorneys I know understand what success means to them. Success is not the same for everyone. For me, I always wanted my success to be defined by whether I did better for myself, my family, my friends, and my community over the course of my career. My definition of success is different than others, who may consider monetary gains or position in society as their success markers. Neither of us are wrong, because the key is not what kind of success you seek, but that you seek it in a way that does not harm anyone else in your pursuit of success. Those who are truly powerful measure their success not against the success of others, but against their personal goals.

So don't shy away from associating being an attorney with power, because it’s by utilizing the power that we are given when we become members of the bar that we grow into our best selves, as attorneys and as people. Just don't forget what everyone's favorite Uncle Ben Parker said, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Grow your power well and use it wisely.