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EDITOR’S
BRIEFCASE
BY JUSTICE MICHAEL B. HYMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief
Justice Michael B. Hyman
Illinois Appellate Court
Managing Editor
Amy Cook
Amy Cook Consulting
Associate Editor
Anne Ellis
Proactive Worldwide, Inc.
Summary Judgments Editor
Daniel A. Cotter
Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLC
YLS Journal Editors-in-Chief
Oliver A. Khan
American Association of Insurance Services
Nicholas D. Standiford
Schain Banks Kenny & Schwartz Ltd.
Carolyn Amadon
Geoff Burkhart
American Bar Association
Natalie Chan
Sidley Austin LLP
Nina Fain
Clifford Gately
Heyl Royster
Angela Harkless
The Harkless Law Firm
Justin Heather
Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity
Jasmine Villaflor Hernandez
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Michele M. Jochner
Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP
John Levin
Bonnie McGrath
Law Office of Bonnie McGrath
Clare McMahon
Law Office of Clare McMahon
Pamela S. Menaker
Clifford Law Offices
Peter V. Mierzwa
Law Bulletin Publishing Company
Kathleen Dillon Narko
Northwestern University School of Law
Adam J. Sheppard
Sheppard Law Firm, PC
Richard Lee Stavins
Robbins, Saloman & Patt, Ltd.
Rosemary Simota Thompson
William A. Zolla II
The ZOLLaw Group, Ltd.
THE CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION
David Beam
Director of Publications
Joe Tarin
Advertising Account Representative
CBA RECORD
M
any of us entered the legal profession with a strong awareness of a higher pur-
pose. For some, that purpose has varied depending on personal experiences,
encounters, expectations, and emotions. Others have slowly become uncon-
scious of the higher purpose to which they once aspired. For a few, though, the purpose
has stayed constant, vital, and a life-long quest.
I believe following a higher purpose gives our work a focus, a hook, an essence, that tran-
scends self and personal gain and makes the law seem less like a job and more like a calling.
Without a higher purpose we just drift, rudderless and susceptible to any wind.
Without a higher purpose, we more easily become discouraged or disheartened because we
have little drawing us to something that is so worthwhile it makes us proud of what we do.
Without a higher purpose, we tend to ignore or forget what we value, and what we
stand for.
The actor and activist Ossie Davis beautifully described the power of a higher purpose
when he wrote:
“We can’t float through life. We can’t be incidental or accidental. We must fix our
horizon, and once we have attached ourselves to that star we must keep our eyes
on it and our hands on the plow. It is the consistency of the pursuit of the highest
possible vision that you can find in front of you that gives you the constancy, that
gives you the encouragement, that gives you the way to understand where you are
and why it’s important for you to do what you can do.”
Pursuing a higher purpose makes engaging in law more satisfying and more reward-
ing, as long as that purpose meets two characteristics: it must be unselfish, and it must
be meaningful.
“Unselfish” refers to caring more for the interests and needs of our clients than finan-
cial remuneration. To be “meaningful,” the purpose must have the potential to positively
impact the world and make it a more just, hospitable place. When work is meaningful,
it usually leads to greater enjoyment, which in turn brings about a greater sense of fulfill-
ment in our lives.
A higher purpose can be as challenging as easing the heartache that accompanies life’s
tragedies, or as practical as committing to advocate with decency and civility. A higher
purpose can be as basic as bringing to account in a responsible manner individuals who
violate society’s rules, or as crucial as protecting and vindicating the rights and interests
of those same individuals. Or, a purpose can be as necessary as advancing the causes of
people whose voices are not heard and whose interests are not represented.
Practicing law is demanding. We spend more of our time at it than any other single
activity. A lot of stress and anxiety and fatigue go into lawyering. A higher purpose will
not magically relieve these feelings. But studies show that employees who are oriented
to a higher purpose perform better and are happier in their jobs. Apparently, a higher
purpose helps keep things in perspective, and provides the strength to press on.
A higher purpose also gives our work utility beyond the immediate, and infuses our
lives with significance beyond the mere product of our labors. In this way, we are less
likely to lose track of why we practice law.
What is your higher purpose?
Rehearing:
“The goal is the main thing. There can be no wisdom in the choice of a
path unless we know where it will lead.”–Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo
A Higher Purpose
6
JANUARY 2017