Goodbye, Hello
By James
After nearly eight years my time at Paul Hastings has come to an end. I'm grateful for the range of matters, the pace of the work, and the teams I had the opportunity to collaborate with. That period absolutely affirmed my approach to litigation support, particularly when stepping into new industries.
My involvement with the firm's pro bono practice was especially meaningful, particularly in matters focused on fairness and due process. We aggressively defended inmates' civil rights in cases involving misconduct and abuse within the City and County of San Francisco Sheriff's Department and supported a veterans' benefits case that resulted in a landmark decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Those experiences were a reminder that the same level of care and attention should carry across all work.
From a project management perspective, one matter I was particularly proud to support involved the discovery and document management efforts tied to the Millennium Tower in San Francisco. This included highly complex technical records related to the building's settlement and tilt issues. The work involved roughly 60 entities, including Salesforce Tower, the adjacent Transbay developments, and close to 100 or more custodians.
I walked in with construction litigation experience representing commercial architects, but this was different: fast-moving, with power and influence on all sides.
I learned to ask myself how I could build on what already existed and how I could inspire confidence in the legal teams I supported. Here are a few other things I learned along the way.
Every firm, every matter, and every client relationship asks something new of you. Often, it's very different from how you got the role in the first place. Staying adaptable is essential.
You're only as strong as the people you work with. I couldn't succeed unless the partners, associates, eDiscovery vendors, trial technicians, and IT consultants I partnered with were also set up to succeed. I enjoy spending time getting to know them, what energized them, and the experiences they brought to litigation support. That raised the quality of the work and made everything run better.
The partners I most valued working with shared a few things in common. They made the effort to step back and receive input at every level, from the clients they answered to, to the teams and individuals doing the work. Resilient rainmakers with healthy egos, the kind who treated pushback as protection and collaboration rather than challenge. I'm a proud left-leaning music head, born and raised in the 94303, so I'm wired to notice how people show up consistently. Big Law partners and terms like empathetic or self-aware are usually like oil and water, and those terms shouldn't lose their meaning from misuse. What I will say is that these traits separate good lawyers from the ones people actually want to work for.
In 2008, an attorney I worked with passed away unexpectedly from an undiagnosed heart condition. She was early in her career, deeply committed to her work, and cared a great deal about doing things well. I vividly remember the news of her passing and attending the memorial service for her San Francisco based network of family, friends and coworkers. She was an upbeat person, but her anxiety was noticeable to me.
Her loss has stayed with me over the years. In the legal space, it's easy to work through everything and put yourself last. I know that taking care of your mental, physical, and emotional health isn't optional, but the demands, and some of the reward of work will straight up lie to your face and try to convince you that the billable hour is how you should define your value. It's what make you special. But the evidence doesn't support that contention. Or, as some elders in my community would say, the devil is a liar.
I'm working on a document review project through May or June, using this opportunity to get comfortable with the Everlaw platform. Then I'll refocus on the next phase and opportunities ahead.
Feel free to connect for a cup of coffee.