Matt talks about cyber security, having a good attitude, and living up to the standard you set for yourself.

Matt's firm and practice
Fairly new firm that broke off of a big law firm
Two areas: commercial litigation and insurance coverage
Grown from four to 11 attorneys in a matter of months
Also grow with their clients as they grow
There is a big concern among clients regarding cyber security
Excited about the technology advancements for lawyers and law practice ("take advantage of the blessings because you're definitely going to have to live with its curses")
Big opportunity for young lawyers in cyber law
San Antonio has grown up over the past 20 years, and is a great place to live and work
the S.A. bar is one of the most collegial anywhere; lots of professional courtesy; relatively small compared to other large cities
more small/mid-size firms
definitely a home-field advantage when going against lawyers from outside the county
Advice to young lawyers
responsibility of every attorney to be involved in the community; use talents and skills to serve; will be rewarding
pro bono work too (they led one of the first same-sex marriage case in Texas)
business development may/can come from community service, but not the reason to do it
Attitude is everything; are you bringing energy to the team? Give people a reason to want to keep working with you.
Don't have a big ego; compliment opposing counsel/colleagues/clients; have humility; there are lots of ways to get to the end result
Common mistake is to not speak up when you're having trouble and not making progress; don't wait to ask for help if you are stuck
Also an unwillingness to speak up
When hiring young lawyers
table stakes - good law school and performed well
history of hard work
leave out the high school extracurriculars
team experience is important
willingness to learn
does the person have a good attitude? will they be good to work with in high-stress situations
Coverletters are either horribly generic or incredibly interesting...get into the latter group! (show passion; good writing)
Be genuine in an interview
Advice on business development
Best way is to be a really good lawyer and start to get the clients reaching out to you as opposed to the partner
Become an expert in a subject area, and start marketing/developing your reputation as an expert (this takes years)
Navigating technology
Stay on top of the new developments
Clients are trying new tech everyday, and expect the same of you
Being a leader in tech is much better than being a follower
Work/life balance
Constant struggle
Have to find a way to keep your sanity
new lawyers are demanding firms pay more attention to this
Flexibility within the year (lots of hours are going to happen some months; important to wind down in other months)
Go to bed and put your phone away
Final thoughts
Harvard Business Review article from Clayton Christenson
Three questions
happy in career
family/friends enduring source of joy
maintain integrity / stay out of jail
Avoid comparison. Have your standard and live to your standard
Rapid fire
one trait in associate: good attitude
key habit: discipline
app/tool: iPad (Nextpoint)
Legal movie: A Few Good Men
FollowUp Conversation re: Covid-19