Leading As Lawyers
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A Place for the Discussion of Leadership and Leadership Development for Lawyers, Law Students and Legal Educators
Leading As Lawyers
1w ago
“Law school taught me I can do anything I put my mind to, when my mind is confident. The difference between 1L year and 2L year for me was the fact that I learned to give myself grace, and I took the pressure off myself.”
Rachel Sojourner Dickerson, Esq.
Fashion Strategist
The first day of law school, I walked into the building scared to death. Imposter syndrome met me at the door. Imposter syndrome—“IS”—became one of my closet friends 1L year.
Wherever I went, IS was right there. I entered law school with an imaginary weight on my shoulders. I was a black girl. I was the firs ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
1M ago
Joan Heminway – Rick Rose Distinguished Professor of Law
Carson Blakely – 2023-24 Hardwick Fellow
“ . . . The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny – it is the light that guides your way.”
— Heraclitus
2024 has started off with a bang and promises to be a year of personal and professional transitions for many. It is a presidential election year—with all that brings. Capricious weather patterns have brought record snow here in Knoxville and other challenges locally and around the globe. Leading t ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
2M ago
“I will never have the courage to lead in the way that Fran Ansley led.”
Joan MacLeod Heminway
Rick Rose Distinguished Professor of Law
Law leadership involves so many things; among them: foundational knowledge and experience, a sense of purpose, and the courageous pursuit of that purpose. On the day that I write this, January 15, 2024, we lost a great lawyer leader: my UT Law colleague, Fran Ansley. Fran embodied that knowledge, experience, purpose, and courage in almost everything she did, in and outside the classroom. A tour of her scho ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
3M ago
“Whatever negative, pessimistic content you are consuming, eliminate it cold turkey for a month and replace it with brilliant people’s thoughts and life’s work. By February, I believe you will see great improvements in your positivity.”
W. Preston White
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Associate | University of Tennessee College of Law Class of 2023
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Sir Winston Churchill
As we tie a bow on 2023, you are likely making New Year’s resolutions. Starting that new low-ca ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
3M ago
Nevertheless, leadership opportunities often allow us to make contributions to organizations we value, and not surprisingly, we will continue to embrace them. Given that, how do we equip ourselves to give our best in these roles? Part of the solution is managing ourselves to maintain our energy and focus.
Stephen E. Roth
Vice-President and General Counsel at JTV
For lawyers, leadership roles are add-ons to already demanding schedules. Consider this scenario. You have an active law practice; you’re in firm management and you’re married with two young kids. You decide th ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
4M ago
It is important to remember why you started, what your goals are, and the reasons behind all of your actions. Your end all be all, this is what you will have to fall back on, and reminding yourself of these foundations can renew your motivation and give you the extra push you need to get through the day.
Isabelle Thibault
University of Tennessee College of Law, Class of 2024
Leading is not easy.
If it was easy, everyone would be a leader. But alas, it is not. There are various courses, classes, and workshops to teach, strengthen, and sharpen leadership skills such as communicat ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
6M ago
From the visionary leadership of Augustus Caesar to the adaptability of Julius Caesar, and the cautionary tales of erratic emperors, the Roman Empire is a rich tapestry of leadership lessons waiting to be unraveled and applied
Carson Blakely
Hardwick Fellow
Ah, the Roman Empire. I can still vividly recall my younger days, eyes wide and glued to the History Channel’s Roman marathon, eagerly absorbing every detail of Roman history. The recent trend of girlfriends asking their boyfriends about how often they think about the Roman Empire? That has been my personal Super Bowl. My fiancée, b ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
6M ago
Betty Rhoades
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t recognize this superhero? Born on the secluded island of Themyscira, Princess Diana was raised among the warrior Amazons and shaped by a profound sense of duty to protect and serve others. When an American pilot crash-landed on her shores and spoke of the great conflict consuming the world, Diana left her paradise home, embraced her role as the legendary Wonder Woman, and became a symbol of hope and a champion for peace.
You may not have superhuman strength, the ability to fly, or a cool tool like the Lasso of Truth. But I assur ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
7M ago
Operating in your most authentic state is crucial to your personal leadership experience
Bryce Danielle Bradley
President of the Black Law Students Association, University of Tennessee College of Law, Class of 2024
Merriam-Webster defines “authentic” as something “true to one’s personality, spirit, or character.” A common misconception is that leaders must be “shapeshifters” for their organization and become whatever anyone needs them to be at any moment. While adaptability is a common characteristic of some of the world’s best leaders, it does not require one to completely disregard t ..read more
Leading As Lawyers
8M ago
If anything instills fear in the heart of a leader or manager, generally speaking, it must be this one thing: failure.
Jack H. (Nick) McCall
Retired Senior Attorney and Deputy Agency Ethics Official, Tennessee Valley Authority
If anything instills fear in the heart of a leader or manager, generally speaking, it must be this one thing: failure.
“To err is human,” Alexander Pope opined. We often recognize and praise the accounts of inventors and entrepreneurs, who epitomize another old saying: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Yet, leaders and manage ..read more