And dispute can be a meat grinder. It is many the young lawyer who has fancied herself immune to the pernicious assaults of stress, only too late to learn the costs and consequences of that mistake. As a lawyer, you will at some time find yourself to be the only instrument standing between a client and the oppressions of government, the abuses of business, the tyranny of ignorance. It is at such times that you will feel the real pride and significance of your work. It is easy, too, for lawyers to forget that each of us is walking in pathways of justice forged by Abraham Lincoln, Clarence Darrow and thousands of other great American men and women.
Every lawyer is a steward of that noble tradition.
Today I want to offer you some humble advice. My hope, optimistic as it may be, is that you will remember even a little piece of what I say, and that in some small way it will help prepare you to survive the ordeals and sorrows of your career along with its excitement and elation. First, remember that you are an artisan whose only tools are words. Do all that you can to enhance your skills of communication, not just in speaking and writing, but in listening, the most frequently used and most often neglected skill you will need. Respect with your whole heart the power of your tools.