Life Lessons Learned Along the Way: Teaching an Old Bear New Tricks

By Richard M. Mitchell, Esq., CPCU

We continue our series of personal, impactful stories that have shaped how we practice law.

I, along with my partners, have written in this space many stories about life lessons.  Usually, we talk about experiences we have had earlier in life or some significant event that shaped the way we think.  Recently, however, I was reminded that life lessons occur all the time if we are paying attention.  Our law firm is proud to foster a certain culture that exemplifies our identity.  As part of our culture, we have a series of fundamental principles by which we try to operate.  One of those is to be a lifelong learner.  Well, life teaches us things all the time.

Earlier this month, I was privileged to journey to Alaska.  My wife and I have been very fortunate to have traveled fairly extensively through the years.  A couple of years ago we asked each other to name five places we had not been to but wanted to see.  Alaska was one that was definitely in common. 

Much of the trip was a cruise, although I am much more of a land person.  My wife’s sister joined us on this trip, which meant the two of them wandered off on some of our day trips.  That left me the opportunity to explore.  I decided I wanted to take a hike in the Alaskan wilderness. 

Now, when I was younger and in much better shape, I was one of those people who would put a backpack on my back and disappear into the wilderness for three weeks.  I had, and still have, a couple of good friends who shared that trait with me.  We were all experienced with the outdoors.  I knew the great beauty that existed out there.  I also knew that if you were not careful, the risks of nature could catch you by surprise, and not always in a good way.  When I went out into the wilderness, I knew what I was doing.  I was experienced.

When I wandered down a trail by myself in Alaska, my head told me I really was unprepared for what I might meet living out there.  Yet, I knew what I was doing.  I was experienced.  I had great confidence in myself and my outdoor abilities.  As I trudged along a beaten path, I realized I was on a bear trail.  I did not get too far down the trail before my new buddy, a black bear of about 400 pounds, crossed about 3 feet in front my path.  I had no bear spray and really nothing to protect myself, including other people.  Yet, I knew what I was doing.  I was experienced. 

At that moment I realized that I was overconfident and relied on things I had known for many years but not kept properly in touch with.  Thankfully, my new buddy was far more interested in salmon than in me.  That was fortune, not skill.  While I was in a breathtaking environment, I realized I was not properly prepared.  I simply relied on the fact that I knew what I was doing.  I was reminded that day that simply relying on experience is not enough.    

Similar experiences happen all the time in law and life.  How often have you heard a lawyer say, “I know what I’m doing.  I’ve been doing this for 30 years.”  I know I have said that.  In truth, however, while that is invaluable, it is not alone sufficient.  There are always new things to learn.  It is only by doing so, and realizing where we need to pay closer attention, that we remain “knowing what we are doing.” 

My recent experience was incredible and reminded me of the beauty and force of nature.  It reminded me to be respectful of both.  That is true when trudging through the trees or simply trudging through life.

In our second article, David Saperstein looks at AI-produced complaints and why courts should not have to “fish a gold coin from a bucket of mud.”