Professional Thoughts

March 15, 2012

Kenneth W. Starr, "Acquired by Character, Not by Money," Life in the Law: Service & Integrity, at 239-240 (from a convocation address given at the Provo Tabernacle on April 27, 1990): "'I would study less, ... and think more.' For the record, I think that's sound advice, not only for law school, but--more relevantly for today's graduates--sound advice for one's entire legal career. Unfortunately, in law, as in life, there is little need to think in order just to get by. But, as Aristotle wisely opined that the unexamined life is not worth living, so too one's life in the profession that our graduates are today entering should remain--in a constructive, positive spirit--under the gentle care of a careful eye."

February 22, 2012

James E. Faust, "Be Healers". Life in the Law-Service & Integrity, p. 83: "There is a great risk is justifying what we do individually and professionally on the basis of what is “legal” rather than what is “right”. In so doing, we put our very souls at risk. The philosophy that what is legal is also right will rob us of what is highest and best in our nature."

January 26, 2012

Elder Keith K. Hilbig, "Balancing Family, Church, and Profession". JRCLS Annual Fireside, January 19, 2007: "How we do it all, I think, brings us back to what we started with. We're talking about balance and the three particular elements we discussed tonight: family, church, and work. Most of the world doesn't worry about that middle component, namely church. But for us it's a critical part, and I submit that it is the part that makes happiness in the other two things possible. Imagine not knowing the fullness of the restored gospel. Most people live their lives in a box: they're born and they die, and it's only what happens in between that they are aware of. We have the blessing of an eternal perspective, a prism that can look back and look ahead, and with that level of understanding we treat what happens in the box a lot differently. "So, how can we achieve balance? Because we understand the principles of the gospel and know the purpose of being here, we can apportion our time more wisely. It's a blessing to have the responsibility of knowing about the Restoration, of understanding these priciples, and as we apply them, I believe, we are empowered to carry out the balance of family, church, and work as effectively as the Lord could expect from us. We know why the family is important and that dictates our decisions. We know why Church service is critical, and that influences our decisions. We know how important it is to provide for our family and to be honest with those who have hired us. It's the best way to live, and it's certainly not a burden. It is a blessing."