In several conversations with more seasoned attorneys, however, there was a recurring question: Where are the young lawyers?  For example, here’s a conversation I had with a judge on the circuit court who previously headed the MSBA:

Judge:  Where are all of the young lawyers?

Me:  I still qualify as a young lawyer.

Judge: Not really. I mean the young, young lawyers.

Me: I think of myself as a young lawyer.

Judge: You don’t count. I hate to break it to you, but you are not that young anymore.

I attended my first MSBA Annual Meeting three years out of law school. I had become involved with the MSBA Young Lawyers Section at the invitation of another young lawyer I met through an indoor soccer league. At the time, I did not know what I was getting myself into but in the brief moments of reflection I’ve had since then, I realize that one of the most important decisions in my career thus far has been my involvement with the MSBA.

Bar associations, whether the MSBA or a local association, provide a forum to discuss our professional and personal lives with other attorneys — seasoned, young, or young young. From a business development aspect, it has become a source of a number of referrals. Essentially, bar associations are a built-in networking tool and, as with anything, the benefits may not be evident immediately.

In a time of smartphones, videoconferencing, emails and immediate access to information, we may have forgotten the importance of cultivating relationships through a firm handshake and light conversation. Talking with people face-to-face instead of through email builds better relationships. And being physically present leaves a greater impression than a fancy signature line at the bottom of an email.

In the next three weeks, my firm will be welcoming two new associates, one in our business litigation department and the other in our business transactional department.  In addition to both showing high legal academic acuity, both also show a type of character or determination, a kind of moxie. Both associates also were not a result of a response to an advertisement but found through a series of “touches” from different people. Our new litigation associate knew several individuals within our firm, while our new transactional associate, before we determined we even needed a new transactional associate, had met several members of the firm by attending different firm events and simply developing a network.

So instead of asking, “Where are the young lawyers?”, maybe we should start asking “Why don’t they realize how important these types of events are?”

I have been fortunate to work around very wonderful people I considered “easy to work with” in just about every job I have had. But there is one type of “co-worker” that I haven’t had the pleasure to work with yet — my dogs

I know that many people bring their dogs/pets to work with them on a daily basis and I would love to do the same. Pets have a lot of health benefits — mainly, decreasing stress. For example, I belong to Pets on Wheels (a therapy animal organization), which brings therapy animals to all sorts of different places, including law schools during exam time to decrease students’ stress levels.

I haven’t brought my dog to a law school yet (I think doing so would vastly increase my personal stress levels) but I do bring her to the local library for the “Paws to Read” that uses animals to help instill confidence in children about their reading abilities.

In theory, bringing your dog to work can have many benefits. In addition to lower stress levels, having my dogs at work would make it easier for me to stay at the office later. And I wouldn’t feel so guilty about leaving them home alone all day. On the other hand, I feel like animals in the office could also lead to increased stress. You have to worry about barking and taking them out.

Right now, my office companions include a few houseplants. Maybe I’ll upgrade to a betta fish and see how that goes before bringing my dogs in.

Do any of you have pets in the office? If so, do you find it helpful or does it add another stressor?

Back in my first year of law school, I was in D.C. trying to scalp a ticket to a concert – a Grateful Dead cover band, I believe – and I met a guy who had one. He was in a suit, looked like he had just left work and was at the show by himself. Turns out he had just flown in from work to D.C. for the weekend for a couple of concerts.

“I always buy an extra ticket or two when I go to shows, because I know someone will need one,” he said.

The guy was also a lawyer, and over a couple of beers before the show (on me in exchange for the ticket), I learned that we had a lot in common. Both of us were born in the same hospital in North Jersey; he lives in Arizona near where my parents have retired; and on weekends he flies around the country to new places seeing bands he loves.

When I asked how he had the time with such a demanding job, he told me that he worked long, hard hours just so that he could make the most of doing the things he enjoyed. He saw the work as something that made everything else possible – not as an inescapable job that held him back from doing what he loved to do. So naturally he was happy that I was taking time while in law school to take it easy on a Friday night and assured me that once it was all over I’d be able to do even more of the things I love, because I’d have an awesome job and could afford such things.

Fast-forward five years. I recently spent a weekend down in New Orleans experiencing JazzFest for the first time. Two weekends ago, I did an overnight backpacking trip with a couple of friends from law school. The other night, I returned from upstate New York for Warren Haynes’ annual Mountain Jam festival.

In the vein of Mike Siri talking about “recharging the batteries,” I’ll submit that taking time to check out and relax can be a saving grace for those with crazy work lives. But at the same time, our jobs should not be something we need to run from, or strain to find the time to completely tune out. Rather, like my old friend from the Grateful Dead show, I see my work (which, have I mentioned, I love?) as an opportunity to do the things I enjoy outside the office.

Harking back to some well-taken advice during Bar-prep: take a day off. Once a week, just go do something you love. Go hiking or for a long bike ride, read a book, just veg out. If you do this every weekend for a couple of months, you’ll get back into a lifestyle of doing all the things you love while having a day job that you’ll enjoy that much more.

On the other hand, if you try to run at full speed 12 hours a day, seven days a week, you’ll burn out completely and just wind up sleeping on that beach you’ve struggled so hard to get to. And if you’re Irish like me, that just means you’ll end up sunburned.

In doing so, I think about the past year — what I accomplished, what I didn’t quite get to, what I would like to maintain and what I would like to change going forward. Last June, I spent my birthday sitting in a Barbri class listening to a lecture on corporate law in preparation for the Maryland bar exam in July. One year later, I was reviewing corporate documents as new attorney. Needless to say, it was a year of many significant changes and challenges.

When doing my annual birthday evaluation, I perpetually attempt to address a question that I can’t seem to find the answer to: how can one effectively track the progress of intangible traits?

For example, if your goal is to lose weight, you can easily measure your progress by stepping on a scale. Similarly, if you desire to save more money, you just look at your bank statement. Someone in my professional circle advised the importance of frequently updating your resume so that you can more easily monitor your professional growth.

But how do you track learning patience, practicing positive thinking and implementing balance, three areas I am always trying to improve upon? Being a new associate in a busy law firm only adds to the challenge of developing and maintaining these skills.

When looking for ways to advance my ability to track self-improvement, I have come across a lot of information on Ben Franklin. He identified 13 virtues that he wanted to develop by modifying his habits. He defined each virtue clearly so that he would know exactly what he was working toward, ranked the virtues and noted his progress each day in a chart, beginning with the trait he considered the most important. Not until he felt that he had a good enough handle on a trait did he attempt to master the next one.

Ben was on to something. A daily list creates accountability, a sense of accomplishment and provides a deliberate reminder of your goals.

Like any new adventure, getting started is usually the hardest part. In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor explains the “Zorro Circle.” The basic premise is that when taking on a huge goal, people can become overwhelmed and paralyzed at the sheer enormity of the task at hand, thus defeating themselves before even starting.

The book uses an example of a messy room (think hoarders). When faced with the task of cleaning it, most people wouldn’t know where to start and surrender. However, if you take a “sword” like Zorro’s and carve out a small area to clean and clean the area, you can then conquer the room. In other words, you create small goals to gain control.

This idea overlaps with Ben’s; using a daily tracker makes the seemingly insurmountable task of revamping one’s personality traits reachable because it breaks the goal down into manageable daily increments.

Each day becomes a fresh start to work on the intended goal and implement change in your life. Slowly but surely these days will add up to months and then months turn into years.

Maybe I should consider these practices and when next June rolls around, I will be a more patient, more balanced attorney who continues to view my career through a positive lens.

In the words of MSBA President John P. Kudel, the Annual Meeting “offers MSBA members outstanding social events and professional networking opportunities, valuable CLE programs presented by MSBA Sections and Committees, an impressive vendor exhibit showcasing the latest legal products and technologies, and of course great camaraderie.”

Some of the events that a young lawyer should not miss include:

1.  The Daily Record and MSBA YLS’ Fourth Annual End of the Bar Year Celebration at Liquid Assets on Wednesday, June 12 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

2. 10th Annual Meet and Greet Reception for Maryland’s new judges on Thursday, June 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

3. President’s Reception on Thursday, June 13 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

4. Young Lawyers’ Sun Run on Friday, June 14 at 7 a.m. (and also sponsored by The Daily Record)

5. Young Lawyers Section’s business meeting on Friday, June 14 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

6. Annual business meeting, including the installation of Michael J. Baxter as MSBA president for 2013-2014 on Saturday, June 15 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

For more information, check out the schedule of events.  If this is your first year going, it is well worth the trip to the eastern shore.

For those of you that have been there before, I’ll see you at the Clarion.

What’s that, you say? You want to deal directly with your clients and other attorneys from the get-go? You want to be able to decide what kinds of cases you handle and what legal strategies to use? And you don’t want to be stuck doing research for senior attorneys for a year or more until the partners finally decide to let you set foot in a courtroom?

If you answered “Yes” to any of those questions, then I have the perfect opportunity for you. You should consider opening your own law office!

Okay, that’s enough of the 1950s public service announcement shtick. In all seriousness, though, the decision to hang out your own shingle is one of the most daunting choices an attorney will ever make but it is one that more and more young attorneys are choosing to make nowadays.

The recession of 2007-2009 hit the legal profession hard and the minor upturn of late has not made much of an impact on the job market for lawyers. In fact, a research group from Bright.com recently estimated the country will have a 7.3 percent loss in legal employment for 2013. As a result, analysts say many new lawyers are eschewing the time-honored tradition of searching for entry-level positions at big-name law firms and choosing instead to start careers in small and solo practices.

That’s what I did, and that’s one of the things I hope to help you with if that interests you. Even if you’re not currently interested in solo practice, maybe this will ignite a spark that will lead to you taking the leap some time down the road.

I’ll save the logistics about opening your doors, finding clients, and making a profit (eventually) for another time. What I want to discuss is the actual choice to go solo.

You see, opening your own law office is a wholly unique experience, and I do not want any of you to make that decision before you fully understand all aspects of it, especially the myriad challenges that will face you. These challenges include not only those specific to the legal profession (such as maintaining a docket of your cases, keeping your trust accounts in compliance, and staying up to date with changes to the laws) but also challenges common to all business ventures (equipping yourself with the necessary tools, setting up a workable pricing structure, and fostering relationships with potential and existing clients).

It is also a terribly challenging experience. You will need to spend many hours simply setting up your infrastructure before you can even consider taking on your first client. When that’s completed, you will have to start putting yourself out there by enlisting the help of friends and family, social networking or even traditional advertising. Even then, it could be months before your phone rings.

And you need to be ready for that likelihood.

Opening your own law office is not for the faint of heart, but if you decide that’s what’s best for you, then I wish you all the luck in the world. Let me know how it turns out.

I’ll be sure to do the same.

But it happens for a variety of reasons, whether amicably and with the consent of the client or because of divergent views on how the case should be handled, unpaid attorneys’ fees, etc.

As young lawyers, it is important to understand that, even after a decision is made to terminate the attorney-client relationship, an attorney still has important and ongoing ethical duties.

First, a lawyer must continue to protect and advance her client’s interests, regardless of whether there is pending motion to withdraw her appearance. This includes protecting the attorney-client privilege.

It is tempting, as lawyers, to include “everything but the kitchen sink” to support why you should be permitted to get out of a case. But your motion to strike your appearance should be as protective of the privilege as possible.

Therefore, simply asserting that there is an unwaivable conflict is more advisable than laying out any details of the conflict. There may come a time when those details have to be fleshed out- whether in response to the client’s assertions or the judge’s inquiry. In any event, it is best to stay as tight-lipped as possible in the beginning.

You should also be careful about attaching the “5 day” letter as an exhibit to your motion. A good rule of thumb is, if the letter contains anything other than a basic notice of intention to withdraw and a statement about notifying the clerk of how the client is going to proceed, it should not be attached to the motion. Instead, you can file a certificate, specifically certifying that you complied with the requirements of Maryland Rule 2-132(b).

The inquiry changes, of course, if your client consents to your withdrawal. In that case, you should draft your motion and send it to your client to review and approve before filing. I would also include a signature line on the motion for my client to approve the motion as to content and form.

It is important to remember that, even if your client wants you out of the case and you file a motion to strike your appearance, until that motion is  granted, you are still the attorney of record. Therefore, you must sign and file all papers to be filed with the court. Otherwise, those papers could be stricken by the court.

Also, while your motion is pending, you have a duty to your client to move the case forward. If there are pending deadlines, you must take actions and file whatever papers are necessary to comply with those deadlines.

You should consult with your ethics counsel if you have any questions prior to providing notice and filing a motion. You also would be wise to re-read the Rules of Professional Conduct and do some basic legal research based on the particulars of your matter. Your duties are often case specific and you may save yourself valuable time, effort and expense by getting advice and a firm understanding of your duties upfront.

I don’t know if it’s true what they say about first impressions, but I’m not the sort of person to take any chances and I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure the first day goes smoothly even if many things are out of my control. Interviews are a helpful way to get to know about a potential job but you never really know how things are going to be until you start and even then, you don’t know until you really put in the time to get into the real meat-and-potatoes of the job. It’s an investment and a risk because you never know how things will turn out.

But mostly it’s just exciting. Every opportunity I am lucky enough to be offered always has so much potential and it’s fun to think about where a new job might take you in the future. I also get excited about the little things, such as how a new job will affect my daily life. There’s getting used to the commute and the general routine of the office, where you go for lunch, happy hour, etc. This new job has the added bonus of being close to where I live, which is something I am very happy about.

I was just thinking that that it’s been almost exactly four years since my law school graduation. To me, it doesn’t seem as though that much time has passed. I’ve gotten some great experience from everyone I have had the pleasure to work with so far but I still feel like a newbie, and I guess I am. Even though it makes me nervous, I always like starting something new.

I always knew it existed — after all, I grew up in New York/New Jersey, the land of diners, and I am pretty sure those diners did business in the hours following my usual 2 or 3 a.m. visits.

Over the past year or so, however, I have made a habit of getting myself out of bed a few minutes early to make some breakfast. I’ve found that when I take the time to make and eat a good breakfast in the morning, the rest of the day goes a lot better.

When you work long and often unreliable hours, taking a few minutes after the alarm goes off to lay in bed or get a little more sleep can seem like a luxury, maybe the best bit of time you’ll get all day. In this unrelenting war against time, breakfast often becomes the first casualty. It’s completely understandable.

You would be surprised, though, how trading a couple of nine-minute snoozes for some bacon (mmmmm, bacon) and eggs can make all the difference in the world.

Just the physical act of pulling out ingredients, maybe washing a pan or two that you missed last night and actually cooking a meal really kicks your brain into gear. You are thinking and planning by 6:30 a.m. and by the time you pull out of the driveway you’ve already accomplished something in your day. I literally whistle most mornings on my way into work — if I’ve had my breakfast — and hit my office ready to take on the work day.

This becomes important, invaluable even, when searching for a job. If you are out of work, it can be difficult to even get out of bed in the morning, much less wake up early and fix yourself a nice breakfast only to have nowhere to go. It sucks. I know. I’ve been there. But starting each day right is truly one of those essentials that can make or break your whole job search.

When I was out of work, we had a rule in our house that I had to be up-and-at-‘em before my girlfriend left for her job (usually around 7 a.m.). I stuck with that, occasionally prodded by a friendly nudge from her to get my sorry butt out of bed.

But it worked. Days when I showered and made breakfast, maybe watched a little “Morning Joe” before 8 or 9 a.m. were the days when I got the most work done in my job search. Those were also the days that I felt better; I didn’t feel as bad or sorry for myself for not working because I was at least getting something done all day.

So whether you have an incredibly demanding 12-to-14-hour-a-day job or you are working full time to find a job, try to start each day with a healthy and filling breakfast. Your body and your brain will thank you.

(And you probably won’t end up eating cookies at your desk every morning at 10 a.m. when you realize you are starving and haven’t had anything to eat all morning.)

However, networking is a fancier word for what is really just casual conversation with someone else over a common interest. In today’s economic market, it has become an essential skill for attorneys at any level, and when executed correctly, establishes the foundation to a relationship that could very well lead to something positive down the road.

It was no secret during law school that legal jobs were scarce. When people asked what I did and I responded I that I was a law student, I encountered the usual look of pity and, from the bolder inquirers, statements like “I hear there are no jobs.” (They were bad networkers!)

During my third year in law school, I set a rigorous goal of trying to meet with one person a week for a brief informational interview or, alternatively, crash at least one “law-related” (open to wide interpretation) event once a week.

Here are the top five lessons that I learned:

1. Practice. You have to actually put the “work” in networking. I found that getting started was the hardest part because I felt awkward and had a small network. But, like anything, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. The more I networked, the more I learned what worked and I began to see familiar faces at other events and thus began domino effect of introductions to other people.

2. Be prepared. You should prepare for any informational interview with the diligence and professionalism that you would bring to a real interview, but without any expectations. As such, you should try to know as much as possible about the person, your field of practice, and what is going on in the world. Being able to show that you pay attention and can create conversation about a variety of topics is critical.

3. Marketing. Try to come up with a way that will set yourself apart so you stay in peoples’ minds. This is a little tricky and a personal aspect of networking that invites significant introspection: what do YOU bring to the table that sets you apart from everyone else?

4. Absolutely pay it forward. If people were kind enough to help you, you should help others. Attorneys are busy. We bill by our time. Yet, many still met with me and shared their truly invaluable wisdom. Their advice also gave me a much better sense of the field of transactional law and what I could expect career-wise. Just the opportunity to listen to their experiences, with the added benefit of hindsight, was worth it in and of itself. I remain grateful to all those who were so generous with their time.

5. Maintain a good reputation. It’s not called “Smalltimore” for nothing.

By the time a job is posted, employers are overwhelmed with resumes. When you network, you may be able to discover an opportunity before it is public. It also helps when employers can put a face to an application.

Putting yourself out there is scary. We don’t like to feel awkward or be rejected. If you begin to feel a little overwhelmed, remember that perception is reality and people will only perceive the emotions that you outwardly display. (In other words, if you’re scared, try not to show it. Just be friendly and smile a lot.)

Finally, practice patience when networking and try to approach it without expecting immediate results. I think of it as planting seeds of relationships: you plant them with the initial contact, nurture by staying in touch and, ultimately, you may have an opportunity to reap something of significant value, whether it be employment, advice, friendship, etc.

Fine-tuning these skills will continue to pay off down the road, especially when you become responsible for bringing in clients.

So good luck and I wish you a most bountiful harvest.