GENERATION NEXT  and  How would the Greatest Generation of Lawyers Fare Today ?  

Generation Next - They’re a fascinating group. Highly motivated. Extremely competitive but willing to share. They are the generation that will banish racism and sexism in this nation. We had our shot - we made progress - but they’re going to kill the beast. Yes - today they are frustrated, angry, scared, confused about where the career path will lead them. And in their ranks are some sycophants, weirdos, high maintenance jerks, and worse. In that respect they mirror our elders.

I have the privilege of meeting with hundreds of law students from the nation’s leading schools every year - and in 35 years I have interviewed, hired, placed, or counseled 10,000 more.  This generation is fantastic and they will accomplish more for our profession than we can possibly imagine. In their words, “this is how they roll.”

I was on a Southwest flight from Little Rock to Chicago a week ago - every seat taken and a young man in his early 20's, buzz cut, and a back pack said “Sir may I have that seat.”  I know the back pack - it’s standard issue for the Army. We chatted most of the flight - here’s what I learned. Raised in Vermont he joined the National Guard to be a soldier but also because when he’s not deployed they fight fires and run rescue operations on lakes and rivers.

He was heading to Fort Campbell to begin specialized training. I asked him about his long-term plans and he said he wanted to become a Sergeant and earn three patches for his uniform - Ranger, Airborne Ranger, and 10^th Mountain Division - he already had his Combat Infantry Badge from Middle East deployments.

He said “Sir I just want to serve and earn those badges and go home and find the guy who recruited me and order him to do 50 push ups.”  Napoleon once wrote that “it is a amazing what a man will do to earn a small fabric ribbon honoring his service.”  That’s our Next Generation.  America will be fine. So will the legal profession.

General Becton has not met the young soldier who sat between us on a plane ride from Little Rock to Chicago.  But they share the same commitment to service, to excellence, to country, and to completing the mission at hand - no matter what effort is required.  A true source of inspiration to any or all of us. Log on to Amazon and order Becton’s autobiography - Autobiography of a Solder and Public Servant.  Or you can borrow mine. If you don’t return it I’m turning the case over to my new puppy Dakota.  If you smell like chicken she’s got only two questions - is my next meal regular or extra crispy?

How would the Greatest Generation of Lawyers Fare Today ?  

It’s a subject worthy of a seminar or at least an adult beverage or two.  It won’t happen but it would be like those arguments about whether Joe Louis would have defeated Ali (don’t think so).  Could Ted Williams hit .400 today (yep). Caruso v. Pavarotti. Beethoven v. the Beatles. But imagine if you could gather in a conference center the founders of some of America’s greatest firms - here are a few nominees