The newest crop of Texas lawyers have some amazing superpowers that will help them succeed in a rapidly changing world.
These include the ability to teach themselves and the power to make things happen instead of just waiting around.
So said Round Rock attorney Melanie McCammon, one of the speakers at the State Bar of Texas New Lawyers Induction Ceremony in Austin.
“What we have accomplished was very hard by any measure,” said McCammon, a corporate counsel and the highest scorer on the Texas Bar Exam. “I’m sure I don’t just speak for myself but for most of you or all of you when I say it would have been even harder without the love and support of the people sitting here with us today.”
Of the 1194 people who took the February 2019 Texas Bar Exam, a total of 639 – or 54 percent – passed. Most of those were in attendance at the May swearing-in event in Austin.
Watch a video of the Texas New Lawyers Induction here.
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New Texas Lawyers Have the Right Stuff
McCammon told the new Texas admittees that simply passing the Bar Exam showed that they had the right stuff.
“The first time I looked at this as just a stepping-stone in my career,” she says in this post on the State Bar of Texas blog. “It was something to get over—a hurdle to jump over. Now I see that it’s a huge achievement all by itself. I encourage you to take some time to really revel in this achievement. It says a lot about who you are and what you are capable of. First it shows you can think like a lawyer. You have the ability to think critically, analytically, creatively to take the facts that you’re given and question them and solve problems not just in the courtroom or across a negotiation table but in social media or whatever life throws at you.”
Also speaking at the induction ceremony was Texas Young Lawyers Association President Sally Pretorius. She stressed the importance of self-care and personal integrity.
“As you guys sit here today, please remember you only get one shot to build your reputation,” she says here. “One small lie; one little white lie—judges remember that. Your employers remember that. Your paralegals remember that. Your co-associates remember that and your opposing counsel remembers that.”
Pretorius told the inductees that because they are new lawyers, they are likely to be underestimated. This can be turned into an advantage through hard work and preparation.
“Just because we are young attorneys doesn’t mean that we don’t know what we are doing,” she says here. “That doesn’t mean that we don’t know the law and what’s best for our client. So remember to always use the power of underestimation in your favor.”
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