What will your legacy be?

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Between two recent judicial retirements here in Montgomery County and the national reflections over the past few days regarding the late George H.W. Bush, it has given me pause to think about life, career, and legacy.

As I’ve heard the distinguished professional and personal lives of these individuals remembered (albeit in very different contexts), it strikes me that even as young lawyers, it’s not too early to start giving thought to our own legacies. Here’s a few ways I respectfully suggest we can forge our paths to a legacy we’d be proud of:

Do we want to be remembered fondly by our brothers and sisters of the Bar?

Choose civility.  Lean in favor of consenting to that extension if it won’t prejudice your client. Take your cases seriously. Take your clients seriously. Take your ethical obligations seriously.  Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Do we want to be remembered for our devotion to the profession?

As a young lawyer, explore all the opportunities that abound to get involved with your local and/or state and/or specialty bar association. Find the outlet that gives you the most meaningful opportunities and make time for your involvement.

Do you want to be remembered for using your professional expertise to serve the community?

Maybe you already are, as a public interest attorney or a state’s attorney or a public defender or a government attorney. If you’re not (or if you want to serve even more), there’s lots of ways to shape your legacy in this regard. Explore pro bono opportunities. Join a board of a nonprofit or an alumni association. And if you’re truly ambitious, aim for the bench.

Can we play a role in the future of the profession?

As we grow out of being “young lawyers,” we can pay it forward and become mentors to younger attorneys. We can be mentors right now to aspiring attorneys in undergraduate studies or in law school. If our practice permits, we can bring in interns and law clerks to learn about legal practice firsthand.

On top of everything else, can we be remembered as devoted family members?

Make time for your spouse. Make time for your children. We don’t get time back at the end of our career to make up for time that we should have spent at a child’s soccer practice or Halloween parade.

As much as we hear about the “legends of the Bar,” it strikes me that there are countless other “legal legends” out there. You don’t have to have a track record of million-dollar verdicts or large numbers of reported opinions to own a legacy you’ll be proud of in your own right.

Jeremy Rachlin is a principal at Bulman, Dunie, Burke & Feld Chtd. in Bethesda, where he practices estates and trusts and civil litigation.