How can someone become a successful lawyer?

I read an interesting article on http://davidmaister.com on how to become happier and more succesfull lawyer (person). Even though this was aimed mainly for lawyers, I think this is a wisdom that can be applied to any professional:   "First, be someone others count on. Most folks talk a good game; very few come through. Clients come to you because they have a situation they cannot solve on their own. Most are not looking for an analysis of the law. Most want you to solve a problem. So solve it, don’t add to their problem by being hard to find, by missing deadlines, or by simply describing their problem back to them. It’s like going to the dentist when you have a toothache. You want it fixed and you want it fixed now. That’s what a client wants every time they talk to you. Walk in with a problem, walk out with a solution. What they want is someone they can count on to make their lives simpler, to accomplish what they want accomplished. If you can simply do that, you’ll be sought out as an extraordinarily effective lawyer. And there is a real difference in your sense of self between being simply a resource; somebody who knows the law, and the person that people count on to solve their problems. Second - be an interesting person, for your own good and so that clients think of you as more than a lawyer. A decent definition of hell is a dinner party companion who is a first year lawyer on the day after his or her first trial. Law stuff is interesting mostly to lawyers. In fact, it’s real interesting to lawyers, so that’s what we talk about all the time, just like you talk about law school all the time. Force yourself to do be able to talk about more than law - read books, go to movies, be part of politics, go to lectures. You’ll meet people, you’ll be able to talk about things that other people find interesting, and you won’t burn out on your job. The horror stories you hear about associates working 2500 hours a year? You will be surprised when you see how much of that is self imposed. These young lawyers get caught up in the chase and find that what they’re doing more interesting than anything else- so they become that boring self absorbed dining companion. The world’s full of great people with jobs and hobbies that are just as demanding and just as fascinating as yours, (assuming you make yourself get a hobby). Learn about them. You’ll be happier and much more fun to be with. Here is another obvious but ignored truth. Look out for yourself. Nobody cares about you like you do except maybe your parents, and you won’t be working for them. My late and very wise father used to tell me to not worry about what people were thinking about me, because they weren’t. They were thinking about themselves. Your employer may have a mentoring program, but nobody is mentored into a success. Mentors are important, but they are only a resource. Accept that you are in charge of your success. So if you think you need experience in an area, make it your business to go get it. Ask somebody; don’t wait for it to come along. Don’t wait for somebody to notice that you’re missing an important skill. Ask for a promotion - people aren’t watching what you do as carefully as you think or hope. Also, determination matters. It matters more than intellect. The streets are littered with directionless geniuses with unexecuted good ideas. Woody Allen had it pretty dead on when be said that 90% of success is simply showing up. You won’t suddenly have a great career. Nobody ever does. The secret is simple- great careers are the result of day after day deciding to do good work and being someone who others count on. Be enthusiastic. Because we deal in rules, it’s real easy to fall into cataloging all the reasons something won’t work or why somebody shouldn’t do something. In fact, we lawyers take pride in being the first one to find fault with an idea. Makes us look smart. In my days as managing partner I would roll out a strategic initiative, and I could see my partner’s eyes starting to spin. Who would get the prize for being the first one to spot the flaw? Clients want to do things - they don’t call you so they can not do things. They want to stay in the borders of the law, but they want to be told how to do what they want to do. And they want to know that you’re happy to be part of what they’re doing. There is no better way to end a client meeting than saying “This is going to be great” and to mean it. It’s fun to be charged up - to add energy to every conversation. Trust yourself. You are a very bright person or you wouldn’t be here today. I think among the most important conclusions I came to as a young lawyer was that if I didn’t understand something, it was because the thing in fact didn’t make sense, not because I was stupid. Most of the times I’ve found myself in hot water it’s because I let a conversation continue past the point where I understood what was being said. And virtually every time I would say “stop, I’m not following this,” someone would come up to me after the meeting and say “Boy I’m glad you said that. I had no idea what we were talking about.” Get involved. Organize the reunion or the bicycle race. Chair the church committee. Help people who have not enjoyed your good fortune. You have spent three years learning how to organize your thoughts, analyze a situation, and articulate action plans. Use those skills everywhere in your life. Stuff will get done, people will appreciate your initiative, and you will derive great satisfaction from making things better. Here are my final two unappreciated but clearly true truths: The toughest lawyer is not the one who is the most obnoxious. Clients will say they want a tough son of a gun to make somebody life’s miserable, a real bulldog, etc. Don’t be that person. It’s been my 100% uniform experience that the bulldog only adds time, expense, stress and confusion to an otherwise inevitable result. Even clients can’t stand them after a couple of months. You want to be tough? Have the best preparation on the facts, the law and the strategy. Judges care only about those things, not a whit for bluster. Bullies are jerks, they wreck the profession for everyone, and you can beat them every time. And finally and hands down most importantly, and please pass this on to your friends and your children, because it’s really important — Be nice and have fun. Just doing that makes life better for everybody, mostly you. And now really finally, and this is not a truth, but what I think you should do - thank the people who have helped you get to where you are today, and fully enjoy this moment - you have earned it."

has an excellent answer. I'm going to add a couple of points. Luck. At least for me, a large part of success was simply that fortune favored me. One obscure area of law in which I had unique expertise -- mainly because nobody else was very interested -- suddenly became hot. I had nothing to do with that development. I deserve credit for seizing the opportunity and successfully handling the matter, but I didn't create it. Knowing what business to turn down. A good poker player isn't the one who knows how to play the winning hands; she's the one who knows when to fold.  Not every case is worth taking. And not every client will be honorable. Speaking of which ... Honor. Old fashioned concept.  But I think it's a hallmark of good lawyers. The decision makers in my areas of tax law often know me and know that I will never misrepresent a fact or the law to them. They know that I will conduct myself with decorum, both to them and their staff. I can't prove that this has an effect, but I am utterly convinced it does. These are supplemental to Jennifer's answer, which nailed the essentials quite well. I'm particularly taken with her point about the need for balance in life. Too many of my colleagues find it in alcohol or other substances. That is obviously not the solution. 

Here are some factual real examples:Find an area in which there is no existing competition. A brother and  sister arrive in San Diego and discover there is no existing Landlord-Tenant attny who represents Tenants, or attorney representing those applying for welfare. For several years they had an effective monopoly.You have Aspergers, you have a map in your head of every valuable piece of real estate in Palo Alto. You become a real estate attny.You came back from Vietnam with a bunch of buddies, many of whom go to law school. You set up a law firm in San Diego in which a military background is important.You discover ahead of time that personal injury law is concentrated in poor communities. You focus on just wealthy communities and on just extreme cases that even the wealthy will sue over.The first person to understand the law as it applies to Aspergers and autism, and to prove they can win big judgments in discrimination cases. This is the only one that has not been done, maybe you should look into it.

It is difficult. It requires a lot of study and a lot of hard work. No matter what kind of lawyer you might be, no matter whether you work for yourself or work for someone else, being a successful lawyer is challenging.If you need to bring in clients or run the practice, in addition to the day-to-day work, this adds another dimension of difficulty. This is because not only do you have the usual tasks of a lawyer, but you have all of the issues that come with running a business and networking, marketing, and so on. You need to know what you are doing. You also need to be able to admit when you don't know what you are doing and know where to go for help. In other words, you need to be competent in your legal areas. You need to stay on top of the law in your area(s). It helps if you practice in an area about which you feel passionate. You will want to learn more and stay on top. This means knowing about changes in statutes, cases and so on. You need to stay on top of technology.  This is back to the idea of competence. For example, if you don't know that how a client's social media use can impact him, you are rapidly entering a sphere where you are not competently practicing law. So many lawyers, who are not comfortable with technology, can easily end up behind the times and may not be competent any longer. Most states have rules requiring lawyers to be aware of the benefits and risks of technology and to mitigate any risks. You need to be responsive. In a large firm or a firm where you have a lot of help, this is easier, because there are always other people to return calls and emails. But if you are on your own or don't have a lot of staff, you need to make sure you communicate consistently and in a timely fashion with your clients. The most common complaint people have about lawyers involve failure to communicate. You also need to have a good bedside manner. In other words, you need to treat your clients well. The best way to get reported to disciplinary counsel, and to get in trouble, is to fail to communicate timely or to be a jerk to your clients. You need to manage your time well and be organized. If you cannot switch from client to client, project to project, and keep track of your time (assuming you need to bill) you will be in trouble. You need to be able to keep track of many things all at once. This is why knowing technology can be useful. It can help you manage your practice better. You cannot risk missing a statute of limitations or other deadline, for example. This, again, is harder for solo and small firm lawyers than it is for large firm lawyers. You need to work hard and a lot. Hopefully you have enough clients such that you need to work a lot. Lawyers work long hours. They have to, to make sure everything gets done in a timely fashion. You have to be able to do this and manage the stress and the impact on your personal life. Life/work balance is very difficult. If you have a trial coming up, your personal life often has to go by the wayside, at least for a period of time. That is the reality of being a litigator, if you are a litigator. Large firm lawyers work crazy hours. Solo and small may or may not work crazy hours on a day-to-day basis, but there are always times when you have no choice. You need to be reliable. If you promise to do something by Monday at 3:00, do it by Monday at 3:00. If you cannot have it done by Monday at 3:00, then don't say you will have it done by then. Failure to keep promises undermines your credibility with your colleagues and with your clients. You need to communicate well, not only with your clients, but everyone else. You need to know how to balance being aggressive with being assertive. You need to know when to bring out the big guns. People who start out with a nuclear bomb when even a gun isn't necessary aren't doing a good job for their clients. Bad lawyers are overly aggressive. Sometimes clients like overly aggressive lawyers. Those clients aren't doing themselves any favors either. But a lawyer who cannot become aggressive when she needs to isn't doing her clients any favors either. That balance is critical. Don't forget to have a life. If you become just focused on the law and nothing else, it is easy to lose that human connection. It is easy to forget why you are there. It is easy to lose that empathy  that you need to be able to connect to your clients and  the experiences they are having. Especially if you are on the consumer side (i.e. the individual as opposed to the business.) Also, if you don't have any life, it will be difficult for you to bring in clients because they will not want to network with you. This goes to a work/life balance. You do need one. You need to have a life. You won't look back at 60 and think, gee, I wish I had spent more time in the office. You don't want to look back at 60 and think, I wish I had spent more time with my spouse or children. A smart lawyer will create a reputation for herself aside from the reputation of her law firm. It is great if you are at a firm where you don't have to worry about bringing in clients, but what if something happens? What if you get fired or the firm implodes? Now here you are, no job and you need to find one. If you are someone who has formed a reputation for yourself, at least in the legal community, then you will find it easier to find a job. A smart lawyer knows how to bring in clients. Networking, marketing, this is all part of creating a reputation. If you are a rainmaker, you will always have a job. This means being an interesting person who has things to talk about aside from the law. This also returns us to work/life balance. Don't be afraid to get out there and make friends in your community. Those friends might need a lawyer some day. Be part of your community. Your church members or book group might need a lawyer some day. Or have a friend who needs a lawyer. And also, you will have a life. Know the ethical rules. You don't want to have to call someone like me to defend you in front of the disciplinary board because you made a stupid mistake. Most of the rules make sense and are easy to follow. Most of the time it is solos and smalls who get in trouble for the day-to-day stuff, because they don't have the support to fall back on. But there are all sorts of reasons people can get in trouble. If you know the rules, you can avoid getting in trouble. Know your cases. Know every single fact. Know every single piece of law. Know everything. No one else should know your cases better than you. You should be able to recite things from memory. You should never, ever be caught flat footed. Lawyers need to be able to think on their feet, be able to answer to respond quickly and well. If you know your area(s) of practice well and you know your cases well, you won't have  many surprises. These are just some thoughts off the top of my head. If I think of it, I will add more.In the end, work hard, know what you are doing and treat people well. This is how you become a good lawyer.