procedural guides

Happy Harvard Lawyer

According to Bruce Bromley, Professor of Law John Manning ’85, the life of a lawyer can indeed be a happy one so long as they follow eight simple rules. The Harvard Law School Class of 2015 enjoyed a series of “Last Lectures” wherein prominent law professors deliver talks under the premise that it is the last bit of advice they will ever give.

Manning’s talk, advising how students could be both “happy lawyers and human beings” was the last of four-part series. Among his eight rules, Manning cites Rule #4: “You will make mistakes; so will others. So be forgiving in both cases,” wherein he transparently describes a significant error on his very first assignment as a clerk for Judge Robert Bork.

In Rule #6: “You will have disappointments. And you will survive them”, he states, “Be prepared to reinvent yourself. . . . If some day you find yourself at the end of the line, unable to fulfill that nonnegotiable dream, there is only one thing to do – move on.”

For the full story, visit Harvard Law Today.