Connect to Your Purpose

June 2023

By Jeremy M. Evans, President, CLA

Remember when you were a child? You had passions and dreams. Just because you have a career does not mean you have to give up on those exciting endeavors. Set goals and combine your career with those aspirations. Your career is best when it reflects your passions and dreams. 

Serving others is one of the best ways to live a fulfilled life and, in many ways, helps to feed our passions and dreams since we often volunteer in places where we deeply care and love. Notice how you feel the most fulfilled, complete, and content when serving others. In an organizational setting like California Lawyers Association, reflecting on your time and service is essential. How do we help each other? How do we show up for each other? 

First and foremost, we need to be reminded from time to time that California Lawyers Association is a community of attorneys. It is a support system with resources. It is a place to go for advice, referrals, wellness, and connection. The organization’s purpose is not to create a competitive environment that drives people against each other. It should bring us together for a common cause of good in the profession and our communities. We are focused on being competitive for our clients, of course, but with an understanding and respect for the law, the professionals, communities, and people. 

Oftentimes, attorneys have multiple strategies for different paths in a matter. These options are provided to clients to make the best decision on how to proceed. One can and should zealously advocate for a client without forgoing the community—meaning one can still show respect, humility, dignity, civility, and care for the profession, themselves, and the client and not be conflicted. 

One can serve their community with time and expertise. One can show up for others by giving of their time and knowledge. Time is finite, so where one spends it demonstrates their priorities. We as a legal profession need to prioritize finding the time to serve others by giving of our time and expertise if needed, just for the sake of it. 

How can you serve? Make time for phone calls with high school, undergraduate, graduate, law students, and professionals who want career and case advice and direction in general. In my experience, about five hours a week is dedicated to calls with people from the profession and beyond wanting to learn about personal backgrounds, professional direction, and where to get started. Spend the time to invest in the people in your profession. It is not only the right thing to do, it is the beneficial thing to do. 

Speak on panels, write articles, travel to conferences, and have fun while doing those tasks! No one said the work we do and the things we participate in cannot be fun. If anything, the things we invest time in should be fun or at least something we are passionate about. Our individual passions and skills cannot be replicated, so your effort is that much more critical to each task, situation, and person. The differences in our DNA are reflected in the impact each of us can have in bettering the profession and the lives of others. 

Be active on social media. Record a podcast. Volunteer for a leadership position or project as a member of an organization. Speak your mind. Often, taking the first step is most important—courage comes after taking the first step. Fortunately, life works that way. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

Imagine a life without risks. Pointless. The more we stretch and grow away from fear, the more we become what we were meant to be. 

The beauty is we practice law together. Challenge yourself to help someone. Add to the community by developing relationship roots that strengthen the bonds of our beautiful association and community. My time serving others is not without risk, but better to take the risk, be vulnerable, and experience the highest level of adulation in your life and career. 

Sincerely Yours,

Jeremy M. Evans
President, California Lawyers Association 

Want to read past messages from President Evans? Read more, below!

• May: Performing at Our Best Requires Wellness, Patience, and Consistency
• April: The Power of Why
• March: What My Sisters Taught Me
• February: The Jackie Robinson Effect
• January: A Season to Remember