Monday Mentors with Houston Family Lawyer Robert Tsai

Robert Tsai of Houston family law firm Walters Gilbreath joins us on the show. He talks about getting practical experience early, building a network, and a unique interview prep technique.

COVID-19 Update

• In the beginning it was crazy because so many law firms weren't able to quickly move online, but they were prepared and ready to go
  • Dropbox/Google Drive/Slack already in place
• Adapting to Zoom hearings
• Gradually shifting from no hearings to Zoom hearings; still no jury trials or in-person hearings; trial dates reset/delayed
• Take advantage of the time you would have been in court to meet with clients, prepare in more depth
• More judges are deciding issues on submission only (no hearings) which can be a good thing, especially if it is a non-controversial or non-contested issue
  • Saves lawyer time and client money
  • Hopefully that sticks moving forward

His practice/firm

• Family law litigation firm with Houston, Austin, and a new Dallas office
• Litigation firm; if there is a position they can argue on behalf of their client they are going to do it
• New/changing case law:
  • How you value business entities or a spouse/partner's interest in the business
  • Fraud on community and whether one spouse breaches duty to the other
• Lots of practice areas can be implicated under family law (e.g. shareholder actions if there are multi-member LLCs)

Advice to lawyers

• Before becoming a family law litigator, he did insurance litigation. This allowed him to take a case all the way through jury verdict and get great experience. Be willing to say yes to opportunities, make mistakes and learning, commit unbillable time
• Go to as much CLE as you can; network with other lawyers in your field and learn from them
  • informal settlement talks go much smoother if there is a relationship with the other lawyer and a level of trust has been built
• Don't be afraid to do something; don't be afraid to fail; it will build your confidence to try things, make mistakes, learn, and get better
  • his voice cracked on the record in his very first depo!
  • fake confidence until you have it; back it up by putting in the work
• Attention to detail is critical
• Don't be limited to the assigned task; think about the next step and how the task fits into the bigger picture of the case
• Create a network so that you have possible sources of new clients/business when you get to that point
  • Other lawyers can be your best source of referrals
  • Keep in touch with your classmates from law school

When hiring lawyers

• Practical experience is key, which is why it is so important for lawyers to jump in and get that practical experience as early as possible.
  • highlight this experience on resume
• Research the firm ahead of time and think through how you might fit into the firm and its future
• Check their lawyers out in the courtroom and watch them work! Will give you a taste of how they do things. Also could be fodder for questions in the interview

Rapid Fire Questions

• Name one trait/characteristic you want to see in an associate: perseverance
• What habit has been key to your success: task list
• Favorite app/tool: Slack; create a channel for each case and a channel for law questions
• Favorite social distancing activity: Zoom board games
• Favorite legal movie: To Kill A Mockingbird

Thanks again to Robert Tsai for coming on the show!