Ditto. By Paolo, UP LAW Journal Chair, son of neighbors Tita Malou and Tito Emmanuel: One of the things law school freshmen get asked quite often is what they want to be if they become lawyers. The usual answers are Chief Justice, President, Senator, UP Law Dean, and Big Shot Partner. I think there are few people who would say, I want to be like my Dad. I guess it makes sense for the children of chief justices, presidents, senators, deans, and partners to say that--it would be natural to desire to emulate their successes. It doesnt seem, however, to make sense for the son of a practitioner who, while he has made a name for himself, does not head a large firm, own a fancy car, live in an exclusive subdivision, take his entire family on firm outings (abroad), etc. I can see how people would tell me to dream even bigger or aim higher. But my parents never taught us to measure success by these. We were taught to do others justice, to be honest and sincere in our dealings, to honor our promises, and to value our friends and family. We were taught not to take advantage of the weaknesses of others. We were taught to share whatever we had--to contribute our skills to greater causes, and to teach others what we knew. They taught us these because they truly believed that to fail with honor and integrity is incomparably better than to reach our goals by stepping on other people. As a student training for a profession that is, more often than not, not known for such values, these lessons have a special significance. Reputation is currency in the legal profession, and so I understand why other law students would want to be known as justices, presidents, congressmen, jurists, and big time practitioners; after all, society has measured greatness with academic achievements and titles. I have absolutely no problem with that, but as for me, I want to be known by my peers as first and foremost, an honest and fair lawyer. Its true: it would be nice to be successful in the conventional sense (Id spend my money visiting a buffet every 24 hours), but if it means being anything unlike what we were taught to be, it might not be worth aspiring. I want to be able to look at my children (or, fine, nephews/nieces) straight in the eye and tell them that, as a lawyer and to the the best of my abilities, I have dealt with everyone honestly and fairly. If my own dreams go bad and that is the only thing I end up achieving, I will consider myself to be the most successful lawyer out there--just like my Dad is to me.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 09:24:29 +0000
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