by John Hueston

At the end of my summer associate program at Skadden, Arps in Wilmington, Delaware in the summer of 1991, I entered the office of former partner Irving S. Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro, born in 1916 to Lithuanian immigrants, graduated law school from the University of Minnesota but could not find local work because of religious prejudice at the time. He landed a job in the federal government, where he helped establish a rationing program near the close of World War II. He then joined the Justice Department, and quickly earned the honor of arguing key cases before the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court. In 1951, he joined DuPont as a staff attorney. With antitrust litigation as his specialty, he guided DuPont through several legal landmark cases. By 1971, he had been named CEO of DuPont. Today, Irving Shapiro is still the only lawyer who has ever served as chief executive of DuPont.

Contrary to my expectations, Mr. Shapiro was very approachable, and insisted that I call him “Irv.” I asked him how he managed the transition to CEO in light of his career as an attorney. Rather than reciting a list of training experiences at DuPont, he cited his childhood experiences with his father, who had run a dry-cleaning business in Minneapolis. I explained that I had a broad interest in the law, to include public service, but that I had not determined exactly what path I would follow. I asked what advice, if any, he might offer. He paused and then stated, “Keep your learning curve as steep as possible for the first 10 years of your practice. Do not concern yourself with pay. At the end of those ten years, if pay is your concern, the market will respond.” These were powerful and humbling words from a scion of a law firm that offered the nation’s top starting salaries for associates at the time. And for me, this was the single best professional piece of advice I ever received.

The challenge of keeping your learning curve as steep as possible for 10 years is akin to climbing an almost endless mountain. The key to motivation for such a journey is finding your passion within the law. Often challenges for the newly anointed lawyer must be found outside the most lucrative opportunities.

After completing a clerkship for Judge Frank Johnson, a former U.S. Attorney who urged me to become a federal prosecutor, I saw my pathway through federal service. But there would be no immediate entry. I learned that no U.S. Attorney’s Office would accept me without experience as a practicing attorney. I was fortunate to receive an offer from a large national law firm, but I expected trouble keeping a learning curve steep in what I presumed would be a very gradual increase in responsibilities and challenges. But the experience was richly rewarding because I constantly sought challenge and the Firm responded. A turning point came when I volunteered to suspend billing in return for opportunities to observe and assist at trial; the case partner smiled and declined the offer, but then quietly worked to increase my responsibilities. By the time the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office called with an offer two years later, I was no longer anxious to depart.

At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, my commitment to public service led me to stay beyond the 10-year period that Irving Shapiro had suggested. But at the conclusion of the Enron trial against Kenneth Lay and Jeff Skilling, it was time to seek new service challenges.

Throughout my career, service through the OCBA constantly steepened my learning curve by providing challenging leadership opportunities and by opening windows to new practice areas. This year we will broaden access to the benefits of meaningful bar service. We will: (1) create practice and social networking opportunities and allow more opportunities for the Irving Shapiros of Orange County to provide critical mentoring to young attorneys through our new OCBA Masters Division; (2) invite talented OCBA members with no significant trial or case management experience to “first chair” trials and manage cases for some of our neediest county residents in our Small Case & Trial Program; (3) remove financial barriers to entry by lowering dues for government and public interest attorneys and working to involve them in diverse OCBA sections; (4) involve in-house counsel in committee work and increase their networking opportunities with other segments of the bar; and (5) recruit promising young attorneys from a diversity of backgrounds to committee and section leadership positions.

Irving Shapiro’s wisdom presumes an active effort to find challenge and passion in legal work of any kind. A steepened learning curve derived from service opportunities present within the OCBA can provide a lifetime of benefits and a constantly refreshed sense of purpose in the law. Though I never had the chance to thank Irving Shapiro for the impact of his advice on my life, I would like to think that I honor his memory and generous mentorship by helping open new opportunities for others to energize their respective practices and find continuing meaning in the law. 

John Hueston is 2011 President of the Orange County Bar Association and a partner with Irell & Manella LLP specializing in white collar criminal defense and business trials. He can be reached at jhueston@irell.com.