Message From Christopher Hughes and Soyeun Choi, Co-chairs of the Business Law Section

When was the last time anyone checked in on you? Made sure you were making progress? Chances are, especially if you’re reading this article, you once had a cadre of adults — teachers, coaches, tutors, parents, and mentors – making sure you were on the “right track” to advance to the next level. Unfortunately, then you graduated into adulthood. It became your job to keep yourself moving forward, learning and growing. You have to pick your tracks and determine when to change. It’s not just about a choice at the crossroads but delivering yourself to those decision points.

The Business Law Section can help! In addition to the wide selection of opportunities to showcase your expertise, the collaborative process undoubtedly introduces members to other professionals who, just by example, will expand horizons. Recently, a group of attorneys were marveling at a story about an associate who had lateralled into a very well-established, big law firm after only six months at her old firm. The initial reaction among our group was disbelief at the audacity of her leaving a firm after only six months. But then we all experienced a mind shift and realized, “Why not?” We all enjoy a certain level of suffering for our profession but an honest day’s work toiling on projects is much different than managing friction from mismatched employment dynamics. The bottom line was that it worked for that associate. Certainly, we questioned our own personal and professional deadlines. Life is short. Why wait?

Stagnation is insidious because comfort puts you in a box. Well-worn habits and routines just do not intersect with opportunity and growth. You owe it to yourself to at least build windows to see the world outside and the best way to do that is to expand your network. BLS provides opportunities to connect beyond the business card exchange. BLS increases the chances that you will stumble onto narratives that establish pathways to growth. With our crazy schedules, the only way we can learn about that attorney who went in-house, switched practice areas, or worked while living abroad, is to meet her while collaborating on a project. Sometimes, the lesson is neatly contained, for example, gaining perspective on a judge by attending a program and hearing about the experiences of others who interacted with the judge. In other instances, we learn by observing the herculean efforts of our colleagues who manage their practice while also caring for an aging or ill parent, or are recovering from the death of a friend or colleague, or are juggling childcare.

BLS urges our members to make space in their schedules to establish these networks by taking the time to participate, whether by producing events and publishing works, or by attending events and engaging with published works. The BLS calendar is filled with such opportunities. On November 19, we held simultaneous mixers in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. Over free food and beverages, our members enjoyed learning about each other and their practices. Future programming includes: December 11, from 12–1 PM, the Business Litigation standing committee presents Mastering Complex Case Mediation: The CIRCLE Strategy for Attorney Success. December 17, from 11-noon, Consumer Financial Services Standing Committee hosts Khalil “KC” Mohseni, Commissioner of the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI), one of California’s top financial regulators. January 28, from 12-1 PM, BLS convenes a panel comprised of a State Bar of California representative, and legal ethicists for Answering Your Questions About New Rule 8.3 “Reporting Professional Misconduct”.

As we move into the holiday season, we also encourage members to relax, focus on family and friends and . . . get outside of your homes and offices. Go to the theater. Attend a concert. Be inspired by others who perform at the highest level of their art. Bask in the emotional impact of a soliloquy or the movement in modern dance, pick up what jazz musicians are putting down, or marvel before a giant canvas of art. On behalf of the BLS leadership, it is an honor to build this community, but we do so in recognition of the larger context of our place in humanity. It is through the arts that we are reminded that our crossroads, although new to us, are well worn. Happy Thanksgiving!

Christopher Hughes
Co-Chair of the Business Law Section

Soyeun Choi
Co-Chair of the Business Law Section