Mindful Tips for Lawyers from Superior Court Judge Patrice A. Hinnant (Ret.)

This Bar Year, President Walden has extended invitations to several seasoned members of the GBA to offer words of advice to their colleagues at every Member Meeting. During the February meeting, attendees were honored to receive insights from Retired Superior Court Judge Patrice A. Hinnant. Responding to requests from numerous attendees who either sought copies of her remarks thereafter or were unable to hear them due to technical difficulties with the microphone, Judge Hinnant has graciously provided the following in her own words.

Accepting the challenge of the invitation to present tips to an audience of lawyers is most daunting. Please know I hope the best for each of you and want to thank you for your service as Fellows of the Bar. 

Here are a few tips shared at the meeting:

• Let professionalism be your polar star, your compass for doing your best, and for doing what is right.
• Take care in how you treat people. Avoid weaponizing Rule 11, complaints, and appeals.
• Being a good advocate does not mean being disrespectful, nor winning at all costs. Always strive to do your best so you can live with the outcome without blame or shame.
• Strive to be kind and to keep your mind clear and alert. Learn to manage your stress with faith, exercise, and recreation. Fall in love. Reboot yourself. Live your life.
• Whenever overwhelmed or befuddled, ask for help, even just ‘getting out of the doghouse’ if your mouth got ahead of your senses.
• Reflect on why you chose the profession and the path you are on. Decide whether it is time to ‘change horses’ for more rewarding work, more lucrative opportunities, or a better life balance.
• Consider if it is time to walk away. The longer you stay, the less creative you can become where you feel ‘stuck.’
• Do not let fear nor shame prevent you from doing what is best for your life, your dreams, your purpose, even if you need someone to help you to think so you can work things out for yourself. No one else is supposed to understand your calling. It was not a conference call.
• Be nice to judges. They listen to ‘mess’ all day, every day. Though they signed up for the job of resolving disputes and administering justice, they did not sign up to be bullied, demeaned, stalked or harassed.  Keep your hands off them.
• Be nice to people; walk gently in the lives of others. Not all wounds are visible. You are. God sees how you treat others and so do cameras.
• Be patient with yourself and others. It takes effort to be present. You know what you had to conquer, shed, or organize.
• Rethink where you have ‘hung your shingle.’  Shift your site if you are not at peace. Explore rural North Carolina where towns have few, hear me, few lawyers. There is a dire need for family, criminal, elder care, disability (especially for children) and estate lawyers.
• Prepare for a safe landing. It is never too late to invest in your future; the magic of compounding is especially rewarding. 
• Take care of your body – it will stop working for you if you do not. Take care of your heart – it will cause you immeasurable unrest if you do not protect it; be mindful of what your eyes and ears feed it. Take care of your mind – it will leave you and your ’stinky mess’ to make it on your own.
• Use precious time squandered on social media scrolling and unnecessary activity to be better at your tasks.
• May you, with earnest endeavor, seek to find and to fulfill the purpose of your life. Too, strive to fulfill the purpose of the profession, strive to better shape the profession and the justice system towards the goals of liberty and justice. Our preeminence depends on how we use our power and our resources. Use your moral and intellectual treasure to do the job! You have all that you need.