As someone who has been practicing law for nine-plus years, I can say that over time I lost the enthusiasm I entered the profession with.
The question I began considering is, how do lawyers get inspired?
Can the average, hard-working lawyer who isn’t partner in some prestigious firm or the lead in a particular field find inspiration to continue? It’s so easy to feel uninspired because success does not look the way it is often portrayed.
Around this time, the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, and hearing some of her stories piqued my interest.
I had never researched her or any other developers of law in any country. I just assumed the stories of judges were all the same.
The more I began to explore, the more I was enjoying getting to know the infamous R.B.G.; not only was her small physique similar to mine but I was inspired by the fact that she was able to build and shape the law throughout her lifetime.
I found an unofficial biography that did not just reveal the woman behind the title; it also examined the development of the jurisprudence she sought to create.
It felt like I was reliving my law school days. The sheer interest in the cases she presided over during her advocacy years and then later as a judge moving through the various courts until her appointment to the Supreme Court held my interest like a thriller.
Throughout my reading, I kept wondering, what lessons can lawyers learn from Justice Ginsburg? What made this woman a lawyer unlike any other?
The best summation of Justice Ginsburg’s character and what she stood for was echoed in 1993 during her appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States by then-President Bill Clinton when he said she stood “for the individual, the person less well off, the outsider in society, and has given them greater hope by telling them that they have a place in our legal system.”
As I learnt more about R.B.G., this description held true. Whilst she fought for the bigger ideal of gender equality, at the root were the persons who faced discrimination through existing laws, which in cases discriminated against men, and in others, against women via biased views on gender roles.
Without a doubt, an exploration of Justice Ginsburg’s life would reveal the great impact her mother Celia had on the person she became. In expressing her desires for a young Ruth, Celia said that she should learn to “love learning, care about people and work hard.”
Sherron de Hart captured how much the Justice lived up to her mother’s expectations. Whilst maintaining a tough reputation, setting high standards for her students and legal clerks thereafter, the Justice was equally known for her reputation as a considerate person. She never forgot a birthday, hosted staff and students at her home where her husband Marty, known for his culinary skills, would treat everyone to his meals, and had a pulse on important events in the lives of those she worked with. Her staff and clerk would describe their relationship with Justice Ginsburg as being part of her extended family.
There are many lessons to be learnt from an observation of Justice Ginsburg’s style of writing. She was known for delivering judgments and dissents using simple, clear language to paint a picture that the average person would understand. Of particular influence on her writing style was her professor Robert Cushman who advised her, “if you want to win a case, paint the judge a picture and keep it simple.”
This is such a valuable lesson for all lawyers to follow. Too often, our works are filled with technicality rather than simplicity.
Throughout her career, and particularly whilst delivering some powerful dissents as a Supreme Court Judge, she chose her words carefully. Notably, Justice Ginsburg simplified the ramifications of the majority’s judgment in a way that ordinary people could remember and provided the public with the language to participate in conversations. Her dissents were not only aimed at invoking public sentiment but also invoking legislative change.
Justice Ginsburg continued to stand for those principles of justice and equality even in a time when the law seemed to many to have shelved humanitarianism and become a tool of power. Though she stood in the minority and the balance of the Supreme Court swung to the Republicans, the Justice utilized her dissents to influence the law and creation of precedent.
Even when the odds seemed stacked against her and when the majority judgment was not in favour of justice, she never lost face, quit, or lost hope in the system. Rather, she utilized the tools available to her to influence change.
A simple review of Justice Ginsburg’s life clearly paints a picture of a woman of strength, battling cancer of her own as well as Marty’s. Until the end of her life, the Justice fought to contribute to developing the law. A powerful trait she possessed was being cordial and helpful whilst simultaneously being very effective and efficient.
To say the Justice worked hard is a great understatement. In fact, she may have worked harder than most. To her family, seeing her at the dining table past midnight was the norm, and she even developed a reputation for turning over judgments in the shortest time frame.
As a lawyer who suffered firsthand from “career boredom” and lack of inspiration, Justice Ginsburg’s life offers up a buffet of inspiration whether in the strict workings and demands of the profession or her personal life and the manner in which she was able to achieve it all.
To see what can be accomplished in a lifetime filled with passion for what one does, knowing what is important to you and chasing those goals is inspiring. I would end with the words of Marty, who knew that the Justice was a woman who believed that “if you want something badly enough you find a way.”
The secret then is to know what you want but more so want it badly enough.