Goodbye

From time to time I think back to my early years in law practice. As I am sitting here conducting administrative law hearings I see a variety of lawyers and a variety of skill levels. When I see the struggling newbies I am reminded of myself of me as I started out. When I see the experienced and practiced professional smoothly handle a case I think back to the first law firm I worked at as a lawyer.

For 14 years I was part of Farhat, Tyler and Associates. Farhat, Joe Farhat was indelibly memorable. What I remember most about Joe was the intensity he brought to everything. He was demanding, he was calculating and he wanted to win. He wanted to win in negotiations. He wanted to win in the courtroom. He wanted to win in even the simplest of social exchanges..

Joe never wanted to be unprepared or surprised. He demanded we be prepared before walking into a motion. He wanted each and every nuance of what could blow up to be picked apart beforehand. Why? Well because he wanted to be the one left standing after the battle. Most of the time we prevailed. If we had been a hockey team we would have made the playoffs just about every year. Most of the time Joe the coach, the master of the team, was able to see the bigger picture. Joe got the lay of the whole chessboard..

Working to win, and you have to work to win when your name is on the door requires focus and aggression. Working to win requires an instinctual lightness like a boxer floating at the edge of the ring just waiting to deliver the KO punch. And the KO punch has got to be there. Most of the time the punches he threw, the punches we threw as a firm, landed solidly..

Watching Joe work was a master’s class in how to manage a litigation practice in a small firm. Watching him work new clients was a master’s class in how to sustain a steady stream of business. Watching Joe watching the world around him was a lesson in mental acuity. .

I didn’t always like what I went through working for Joe for he was a hard taskmaster. But I don’t think I would have had the career I have now without that training. He left too soon, far too soon.