A Welcome Letter to Louisiana’s New Lawyers
Each year, the Pontchartrain Center fills with families, mentors, and fresh bar cards. It is one of our profession’s most hopeful rituals: new lawyers taking an old oath. If you were among those new lawyers sworn in this fall—congratulations. You did more than pass an exam; you accepted a calling to serve clients, the courts and communities across our state.
As chair of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD), I’d like to offer three guideposts for the season ahead—three habits that, if practiced early and often, will shape the kind of lawyer you become: Purpose, Professionalism and Participation. These aren’t slogans. They’re disciplines. And they will steady you when the calendar is crowded, the inbox is noisy and the stakes feel high.
Purpose: Your “Why” Is a Daily Compass
Law practice will pull you in many directions—deadlines, discovery, billables and the occasional sleepless night. Amid the pull, decide what you stand for. Maybe you’re drawn to rebuilding lives after disaster, protecting small businesses, advocating for children or widening access to justice. Whatever your lane, purpose is not marketing—it’s a compass. When you know your “why,” the “how” easily follows: hard days feel meaningful; good days feel earned.
A practical way to find (or refine) purpose early: notice when you lose track of time. If research on a particular issue lights you up, if client meetings energize you, if writing a motion quiets the room—pay attention. Your career will be a long conversation between your talents and what drives you. Let that conversation guide your case selection, your study time and your professional development. You may not land on a single practice area right away. That’s okay. Keep digging, keep trying matters outside your comfort zone, and keep your curiosity moving.
Two quick exercises to discover your purpose:
- Write a one-sentence practice mission. Tape it inside your notebook. Revisit it quarterly.
- Audit your calendar. At the end of each week, circle the tasks that felt most purposeful. Do more of those on purpose.
Professionalism: Respect, Candor, Civility, Reliability
The oath we take is not words we repeat one time in our profession; it’s instruction. Professionalism is where purpose becomes conduct—especially when the pressure is on. Four habits will carry you far:
- Prepare relentlessly. Preparation is respect—for the court, for the client, and for the law. Be the lawyer who knows the record, can explain the rule, and has the cases tabbed. Preparation wins close calls and prevents avoidable mistakes.
- Be candid. Candor to the court, opposing counsel, and your client is not only an ethical baseline; it’s a strategic advantage. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” beats a guess every time. Judges and clients remember honesty under pressure.
- Practice civility. Civility is not weakness. You can be both fierce and fair. Keep your word. Meet deadlines. Argue the issues, not the person. Our bar is small; your reputation will travel faster than your filings.
- Be reliable. Return calls. Own errors quickly and fix them. Protect your name like your most valuable file—because it is. Reliability compounds, and in a community as connected as ours, it’s often the difference between getting the next referral and being politely avoided.
Finally, bring well-being into your professional duty. Clients deserve a present, clear-headed lawyer. Build healthy systems now: mentors you can call, colleagues you can confide in, daily routines that leave you better than they found you. YLD and LSBA resources exist to help—use them early, not just in emergencies.
Participation: From Organization to Community
This profession is bigger than any one client-list. When you step into the life of the bar—statewide, specialty, and local—the oath you took becomes a network of service. Across Louisiana, lawyers run pro bono clinics, respond after hurricanes, teach civics in schools, mentor students, and support lawyer well-being. When you participate, the bar stops being an organization and becomes a community. That’s when the profession becomes more than a job—it becomes a place where you belong.
Not sure where to begin? Start small and specific:
- Pick one thing. Choose a single YLD or LSBA program to commit to this year—just one. Put the next meeting on your calendar today.
- Find two people. Identify a mentor for honest advice and a peer to grow alongside. Ask them which committees or sections sharpened their skills.
- Serve one client beyond your billables. Take a pro bono matter or volunteer at a clinic. One life changed can change your entire week.
What the First Ten Years Teach
A decade into practice, many of us remember our own early milestones: the first “Your Honor” in court; the first hard client conversation; the first time a judge thanked us for being prepared; and yes, the mistakes that made us better.
If you build your habits around those three pillars, you will not only thrive—you will help ensure the next class of lawyers inherits a bar that is fairer, kinder, and stronger than the one you entered.
A Final Welcome
To Louisiana’s newest lawyers: you are stepping into a profession with deep roots and open doors. Bring your full self—your energy, empathy, and curiosity. Ask good questions. Read the rules (twice). Seek feedback. Take calculated risks.
Most of all, remember that the oath you took is a daily invitation: find purpose, practice with professionalism, and participate in something bigger than yourself. Welcome to the Louisiana Bar. We can’t wait to work alongside you.