Legal Research

"Words of Wisdom from a 98-Year-Old Lawyer"

Posted by StephanieWestAllen: "Reading stories about lawyers who have been practicing for more than 50 years always causes me to stop and imagine what the profession was like back when they first entered the law. Bill Wetherall has been practicing for 72 years!

Read what he has to say in this article from The Union (California's Western Nevada County). A sample from "Weathering it all: Attorney still practicing law at 98":

The attorney attributes his longevity to his years of work, sports and many hours spent on the trails around the Empire Mine State Historic Park grounds.

"I still do a mile every day," he said. Household chores also keep him limber.

...

Wetherall came to town in 1955, and quickly struck up a law partnership with Harold Berliner. The partnership dissolved when Berliner decided to run for Nevada County's district attorney, a post he held from 1963 to 1980.

"We never had a harsh word in seven years" of partnership, Wetherall said.

"It was easy to get along with him because he was so competent," Berliner said. "He was a very hard worker and still is."

...

Despite tough economic times, he survived because "there's always a certain amount of legal work to be done," Wetherall said. "It's like the medical system: Being sick has nothing to do with the economy." 

...

As the years wore on, Wetherall saw the legal profession change in several major ways.

"Specialization and the advent of women" were the most important, Wetherall said. Specialization "took a little fun out of the law because we used to do a little bit of everything."

Women have brought a different perspective to law that was long-needed, he added. ...

Click to read the rest of the article."

The active link is available at the source site listed below.

Source: idealawg, 5 December 2009

Full post as published by Stark County Law Library Blawg on December 07, 2009 (boomark / email).