The internet has transformed the learning curve for lawyers new to bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a specialty and one problem in honing your skills was historically finding other specialists with whom to trade stories and ask questions.
I was exceedingly lucky that I had an office right out of law school next to an experienced bankruptcy lawyer who was willing, endlessly it probably seemed to him, to answer my questions, sharpen my analysis, and brainstorm the unusual case.
It was a good thing, because there were precious few lawyers who practiced in this field and had any meaningful skills, if they were willing to share. I ended up traveling to national gatherings to find others who did what I did better than I did it.
With the internet, lawyers in specialties can congregate on line, sharing and learning. One of the single most valuable resources in my practice is the listserve run by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. There I can float a question, ask about trends elsewhere, test my arguments on lawyers capable of a meaningful critique.
A group of lawyers new to this practice in my area formed their own Google group, to share what they each had learned and to invite help for the group from an occasional veteran.
People, law, cases, and education are all now available from your keyboard. Take advantage-there’s a wealth of experience out there available to you through the “magic” of the internet.
Being new has never been easier.
I couldn’t agree more. I learned the basics of bankruptcy, and became a NACBA member, while working for a local bankruptcy attorney with over two decades of experience. My access to the NACBA listserve was a major reason for my decision to practice bankruptcy on my own. Even more than the ability to get some of my questions answered, I value the exposure to the ideas and questions of other lawyers. Every day I find a question or two that I can treat like a mini-CLE quiz: I try to come up with an answer, and if I am confident enough I may even post it, but at the very least I can compare it to other posted answers.