Volume 20, Number 1
Jan/Feb 2003
GP MENTOR
Voices of Experience
Mary Ellen Hanley
Too many mentors? That's an oxymoron for law students and new lawyers setting up practice. In the coming months, GP Mentor will give you the benefit of experienced voices from general practitioners, solos, and small firm members who'll be able to tell you what they know now that they didn't know then.
What is your background, and what inspired you to
become a lawyer?
My Brown University undergraduate degree was a B.S. in science,
cum laude with high honors in physics. A course at Naval Justice
School in Newport, Rhode Island, when I was a lieutenant in the
Marine Corps, inspired me to become a lawyer.
What influenced your decision to pursue a general
practice/solo/small firm career?
When I joined my Seattle law firm in 1963, I had no particular
civil law specialty. After eight years of mostly commercial, tax,
and estate planning/probate, I gravitated to construction law,
which became my specialty for the remaining 25 years of my
practice.
What are the biggest changes in law practice you have
observed over the years?
Doing computerized legal research, control/analysis of discovery
and billing, and the ever-increasing use of paralegals.
Whom do you most admire?
Among the many lawyers I greatly admire, Dennis Archer.
What was the best professional advice you ever
received?
Keep your correspondence and legal briefs succinct, with careful
attention to grammar.
What was the worst professional advice you ever
received?
Never trust opposing counsel.
What is your greatest source of professional
pride?
My contribution in aid of JAGs through the Military Law Committee
of the GP Section and the Standing Committee on Legal Assistance
to Military Personnel.
Who or what got you started with ABA and/or GP Section
involvement?
Being a guest at a meeting of the Military Law Committee during a
midwinter ABA meeting in Seattle in the early 1970s.
What can the ABA and/or GP Section do to be a good
home to young lawyers?
Keep up the excellent work, and make GPSolo subscriptions
available to young lawyers who are not yet members of the GP
Section.
What personality trait has served you best over the
years?
A fierce determinaton to give every assignment my very best.
What area of general/solo/small firm practice did you
like most and least?
I liked the opportunity to grasp and utilize knowledge of civil,
mechanical, and electrical engineering in my law practice. I
disliked the required evenings and weekends in the office that
kept me away from my family.
What is the one thing you cannot stand regarding the
law/lawyers?
I cannot abide pompous lawyers who substitute rhetoric for
thorough preparation!
What advice would you give new lawyers?
Be prepared, be prepared-and then some.
Never use a yellow pad when addressing the bench
Keep your briefs shorter than the maximum allowed by court
rules
Enjoy the benefits of membership:
- Award-Winning Periodicals
- Special Member Discounts
- Practice Area Committees
- Continuing Legal Education
- Networking Opportunities
- Leadership Opportunities
