Over the past few years, I have been contemplating how integral it is to have a strong “why” for entering and operating in the legal profession (and in our lives).
In addition, some weeks ago, I came across this quote:
“Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and distinctive – and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done.” - Dr. Benjamin E. Mays (former President of Morehouse College and Mentor of Dr. King)
In short, let’s call that your “why”.
Early influences on my “why”
I didn’t have a lofty or deeply intellectual “why” when I decided to study law or enter legal practice. As a child, I had to “fight for my rights” as the last of four siblings growing up in our family home in the Caribbean. And by “fight for my rights,” at that life stage, I mean things like “fighting” for an end seat in the car during our longer family road trips, whether it be to the beach or to visit relatives.
However, beyond these seemingly trivial or inconsequential sibling spats, a seed may have been planted. As I started high school and began playing competitive table tennis, I became more attuned to unfairness, inequity and injustice. I was also silently observing my parents’ experiences and interactions, particularly my father grappling with and sometimes expressing his concerns about unfairness and inequity. So, unbeknownst to me, my “why” was being influenced and becoming more profound on account of these lived or vicariously-lived experiences. To the point that, during a sports interview with a Trinidad & Tobago journalist while I was in high school, I intimated that I wanted to be a lawyer and work for the United Nations.
Our “legal North Star”
Upon entering the legal profession, my “why” got an anchor.
Our “why” in the profession should be anchored in The Oath that we take during our admission to legal practice.
The Oath for my first Call to the Bar states:
“I [name] do swear that I will truly and honestly conduct myself in the practice of law as an Attorney-at-law according to the best of my knowledge and ability and the law of Trinidad and Tobago.” (Section 18 of the Legal Profession Act of Trinidad & Tobago (as amended))
While the California State Bar Oath states:
“I, (licensee name) solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of an attorney and counselor at law to the best of my knowledge and ability. As an officer of the court, I will strive to conduct myself at all times with dignity, courtesy and integrity.”
While the Oath for California is more detailed and explicit than my initial Oath, as lawyers, we are all officers of the court charged with the obligation to uphold the law, discharge our duties to the best of our knowledge and ability and conduct ourselves with courtesy and integrity. Our Oath, or “legal North Star,” demands justice, equity and fairness.
We are also called to be brave, civic and service-minded, and conscious attorneys who are committed to advocating under pressure and defending and stewarding justice even in the face of instability and dilemmas. The more we stay true to this “legal North Star,” and our words and conduct align with it, the less room there is for compromise, dissonance or conducting ourselves in a manner that is contrary to our Oath. In this way:
We can serve clients and the society with insight and integrity.
When we ascend to leadership roles we can lead with transparency, clarity and conscience.
And when things shift—for example, if we are faced with a false choice or placed in a moral or ethical dilemma, where ethics and integrity are on the line—our “why” will guide us to be integrous.
Evolution of my “why” during early practice years
When I shifted from my initial career in human resources to study and practice law, my “why” acquired a more formalized meaning.
When I took a short sabbatical after living and practicing law in Antigua and Barbuda, it took deeper meaning.
When I left an in-house counsel role in financial services and started Tenoreque Legal (now Tenoreque), it took even deeper meaning.
Wherever I am on the legal practice spectrum, the anchor for my “why” doesn’t change. The anchor remains, and I just show up to live it out in different ways, both in how I practice and also how I operate in my other passion projects.
That minimizes my dissonance, moral dilemmas, pangs of conscience, and not being able to face myself in the mirror and sleep well at night.
Developing, Revisiting & Refining Your “Why” as a Professional
Our Oath is our “legal North Star” and the anchor of our “why” in the profession. We may also have other professional “whys,” and over time, these may need to be revisited and refined. If you don’t have one (or more) “why,” you may need to do some introspection and reflection to develop one (or more).
Whether you’re still a law student or you are years into practice, you might want to reflect on the reason you studied law and wanted to become a lawyer.
In recent years, I have been able to reflect on my “why” with even more intentionality due to prayer, reflection, and spending more time meeting new people and building community in non-law and non-local circles. This has mainly happened at retreats, writing events and tech/fintech conferences. Additionally, through training and upskilling to niche down into one of my legal specializations, I have been able to acquire knowledge and transferable skills to help me refine my “why” even further.
During an author event, held at the Head Office of the Trinidad & Tobago National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), attendees engaged in exercises to consider: (i) The Power of our Personality (ii) Finding our Passion (iii) Reflecting on the Possibilities of our Proclivities; and (iv) Stepping into our Life Purpose. Speaker Kevon Foderingham taught us about these components, which form part of “The I AM Experiment” Self-Discovery Guide. At the event, he also encouraged us to do the Myers-Briggs Personality Type online test to develop greater self-awareness and unlock our personal growth.
During a Financial Inclusion online course that I pursued with the Digital Frontiers Institute, I learnt about Personal Impact Statements. In my opinion, that may be the most substantive, all-encompassing, far-reaching and meaningful approach to developing or refining a person’s “why” in any (professional) arena, and I will elaborate on it below.
Tips for Crafting, Developing or Refining your “Why”
For those of you wanting to develop, augment or refine your “why,” here are a few techniques, methods or considerations to explore:
Start with your anchor: The Oath. If you are a person of faith, like I am, you can blend in aspects of your faith along with the healthy, positive values instilled in you by your parents or guardians during your childhood.
Consider this Personal Impact Statement approach by asking yourself the following questions (Source):
What bothers you about the world? What motivates you?
What are your special interests and skills? What is unique about you?
How do you think you can capitalize on these interests and skills to contribute to making the world a better place?
How can you quantify your broader goals? What metric would you use?
What is the impact chain (put simply, Impact-Outcome-Evidence) linking your actions with your desired broader impacts?
How will you know if and when you have achieved your goals? Where will you seek the data you need to make that judgment?
I see these Personal Impact Statement questions as just a starting point or launching pad. By this I mean you do not have to cast your net as far out as the world if you don’t wish to (yet). Instead, you can confine your questions to your locality, religious or sporting community, workplace, country or region. And depending on how you approach it, the work you do to achieve your Personal Impact Statement can have a compounding effect on a macro-level over time.
Consider doing the Myers-Briggs Personality Type online test.
Subject to availability, explore the “The I AM Experiment” Self-Discovery Guide.
Through my learnings and exposure to a few of the above, I have been able to dig deeper to refine my “why” during my 12+ years in legal practice. And interestingly enough, this only came into sharper focus during the last 5 years.
Parting thoughts
Your “why” guides your voice and your actions in the profession, in your life and in your passion projects.
Though you may not have a public-facing role or serve as an advocate in the courts or at international tribunals, in whatever sphere we are called to serve, we ought to be bastions and beacons of justice.
Having a “why” that is unwaveringly anchored in our Oath, even if we refine or augment it with positive experiences and learnings during our professional journey, will ensure that our actions and conduct are rooted in justice.
Here’s to remaining anchored in our Oath as we navigate our professional journeys while developing, refining or augmenting our “whys”.