Are You A Suckcessful Lawyer?

How do you project wealth when you don't have it? By becoming a "suckcessful" lawyer, explains columnist Shannon Achimalbe.

Once in a while, a family member, friend, colleague or potential client asks me, “Are you a successful lawyer?” When I ask what it means to be successful, they typically mean being wealthy. Then it is followed by stories about a lawyer they know who lives in a large house in a nice neighborhood and drives a luxury car.

Wealth to a great extent continues to define success in law practice. That is why a significant number of lawyers go to great lengths to project the image of being wealthy. The “fake it ’til you make it” mentality is especially prevalent among the newbies, who do not yet have a client base nor an established reputation. So how does one project wealth when they don’t have it? By becoming a “suckcessful” lawyer.

I define “suckcess” as someone who tries too hard to show off an image of success when in reality it may not be the case. For example, someone who drives an expensive BMW but lives with three roommates in a studio apartment littered with rat traps in case the grocery budget is spent. Or when a lawyer makes an announcement on Facebook like, “I GOT MY CLIENT A $2.1 MILLION VERDICT!!!!!” while leaving out the fact that the defendant is broke and so collecting the millions will be impossible.

The problem with living a “suckcessful” lifestyle is that it costs a lot of money to do it — money that the attorney usually does not have. To get that money, sometimes the attorney has to compromise his principles — and in extreme cases, play Russian Roulette with his law license and his career.

A common display of suckcess is someone living an irresponsibly debt-financed lifestyle. The house has a 30-year mortgage. The home improvements are paid for with a second mortgage. The luxury car with the 20-inch YOLO rims is leased. The European vacation was paid with a credit card at the 1% introductory interest rate for 12 months before reverting to the traditional 29% APR. The $5,000 60-inch 3D 4K super-duper HDTV was financed for the low monthly payment of $180 for 48 months! Did I mention his student loans are on IBR? This is why we can’t have nice things, like bankruptcy discharges for student loans.

The problem is that one day, the money might stop coming. But all of the above payment obligations still have to be met. You might try to settle the debt, give up some of the toys or move to a more affordable location. But a less responsible colleague might do something illegal or unethical, like cheat on his taxes, or steal from the client trust fund. There is a chance he could get away with it if he starts making money again. But if he is caught and charged with tax evasion or misappropriation of client funds, an adverse ruling can result in disbarment.

A lawyer some may consider to be “suckcessful” is someone who represents shady clients. Now I am not talking about criminal defense lawyers. I am talking about lawyers who help a select group of clients further their scam, Ponzi scheme, extortion or other dubious business activity. Sure, these clients might pay really well with their dirty money. But when the house of cards eventually comes crumbling down, the attorney may see his name attached to any subsequent indictments. State bars frown on their members getting criminal convictions — particularly those involving fraud — and will not hesitate issuing summary disbarments soon afterwards. I hope all of that dirty money is safe in a nice offshore account somewhere. Maybe it will still be there when he gets out of prison and retires in Mexico.

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I can think of other suckcessful scenarios. But these are based on my personal moral values and I have no desire to impose them here.

Some would justify suckcessful behavior by pointing out that the rich tend to socialize, work with and hire their peers: other rich people. That could be true. But from my experience, rich people, like the rest of us, tend to hire people who they can relate to, trust and feel good about regardless of their financial circumstances.

It is not easy to tell whether someone is hiding his true financial condition. With cheap virtual offices in expensive cities and relatively low-cost answering services, it is easy to give a layperson the impression that a lawyer has a staff and an office in a posh neighborhood. On the other hand, an increasing number of attorneys who are well off financially tend to live modestly. They do not spend a lot of money on overhead or lavish items. Ultimately, trying to figure out whether someone is suckcessful is an exercise in futility. You will spend a lot of time snooping and arousing suspicion. Even if you discover his financial charade, while it may boost your ego, it will probably do nothing for you professionally.

Because the business of law is based on image and prestige, those who have not yet “made it” might feel insecure. But some people who claim to have “made it” might have something to hide. So don’t worry about other peoples’ suckcesses and focus instead in creating your own success.


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Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached at sachimalbe@excite.com.