Celebrating 50 Years Practicing Law
As we celebrate Stuart Garson’s 50th anniversary in the practice of law, we extend our heartfelt congratulations and gratitude for a career defined by integrity, dedication, and unwavering advocacy. On behalf of our entire team, thank you for the leadership, mentorship, and example you’ve provided to all of us. Your impact reaches far beyond the cases you’ve handled. It lives in the people you’ve guided and the standard you’ve set. We’re proud to share his reflections on 50 years of practice.
Reflections on 50 years of practice.
My first day of law school, in my property class, my professor, Sam Sonenfeld, barked out a question: What does it mean to be a professional? As he called on people randomly he got the answers you’d expect - hard work, preparation, discipline.
He said we were all wrong. Then he gave us his answer, which obviously I never forgot: A professional is someone who puts the interests of his client ahead of his own.
It sounds simple. It isn’t. But it’s true.
I was never enthralled with legal argument for the sake of argument. Playing Devil’s advocate never motivated me. What made the law meaningful for fifty years was advocating for that small portion of justice to which my clients were entitled, and which institutional forces, whether insurance companies or government agencies, were often set up to deny. If you do that - if you truly put your client’s interests ahead of your own - you just might have a long career in this profession.
But there’s always a catch. Putting your client first doesn’t mean agreeing with them. Sometimes they don’t know what’s in their best interest. That’s why they came to you. Your job is to tell them the truth as you know it, even when it’s uncomfortable.
And that leads me to the mothership of advice: there is no substitute for honesty. The truth stays put. It’s not a moving target. It anchors everything you do in your case and in your relationship with your client.
Fiction has a way of moving around on you.
Woody Allen is credited with saying, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” If that’s true, I can say I showed up for fifty years and I was fortunate to find success. That success came with costs. But as Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own, “It’s the hard that makes it great.”
So, to all the lawyers of tomorrow:
- Put your client’s interests first.
- Take your calculated risks.
- Honor the truth.
- Show up every day.
- Pay attention to opportunity all around you
- And hope you are granted the gift of good health.
If you can do that, maybe - just maybe, you’ll make it to fifty years in a very challenging, very rewarding profession - with a career that truly mattered, because you put yourself second.
Stuart
