Lawyers have a duty to develop the next generation of the legal profession. As they climb the ladder of success, they must pull others up behind them. They must plant trees underneath which they will never sit. Counsel should ask themselves how they are benefiting the profession and their workplaces by developing budding lawyers.
When I clerked at a firm during law school and when I later joined the firm, the partner to whom I was assigned exhibited confidence in my abilities, set high expectations of me and gave me work that stretched me from the outset. She included me in all meetings and brought me into the room on all discussions. She was serious, and I was busy with substantive work all the time.
