New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Lonschein has said that "Jay Goldberg holds the distinction of being one of the most skilled, if not the most skilled lawyer in the United States." In “The Courtroom Is My Theatre," Jay Goldberg shows us why he is one of the preeminent trial attorneys in USA, as he shares stories of his high profile court-room dramas as well as his adventures outside the court room with some of the most prominent Americans of our time. Young lawyers could learn a few lessons from this book.

DEDICATION, LEGITIMATE HARD WORK & FEARLESSNESS :

In the introduction, Goldberg says, “I am not always that eccentric in court, and I don't win every case, but more often than not I am, and I do. I have dedicated my life to the law and would describe myself as an “idiot savant”, a depiction my wife Rema would agree with.There is a lot I don't know about a lot of things, but challenge my knowledge and understanding of the law and you will likely lose. Still today I read and study U.S. Constitution in what little spare time I have”.

So the first lesson a young law grad or fresh lawyer should consider pursuing is to dedicate themselves to the law and the legal field.Try to become a ‘savant’ as Goldberg calls himself by continuous research and analysis of case laws and legal papers. You must carry the Indian Constitution with you all the time and peruse it whenever you have spare time. Add to this your copy of the the CRIMINAL MANUAL OR CPC and refer to these consistently. I distinctly remember the 88-year old Senior Advocate & former Additional Solicitor General S.B.Jaisinghani always carrying the Criminal Manual with him and saying, ‘‘even at this age I carry this everyday & everywhere as it is my Bible. I learn something new every day." It is interesting that Goldberg & Jaisighani think alike when it comes to keeping close and handy the most important manuals of their profession.

In his book, Jay Goldberg goes on to add “But I also hope it serves as reminder that you succeed at anything with legitimate hard-working fearlessness , and by following your moral compass. As you will read, each client I have ever represented has received every ounce of energy I could possibly give. No matter the case and no matter whether I won or lost, nearly every person in the courtroom -- including the judge, the jury, my client, and our opponent -- walked out with respect for me and the effort I put forth."

Simply put, Jay Goldberg tells us that nothing but "legitimate hard work" will take you to success. Yes, it has to be hard work and nothing short of sheer hard work, but it also has to be ‘legitimate’. ‘Legitimate’ is a very crucial adjective that Goldberg has used. Young lawyers and grads undoubtedly work incredibly hard but sometimes in the legal profession there are temptations that come by and these make one vulnerable, since they offer easy and quick money which is hard to come by in the initial stages of one's career. Then you are lured into creating evidence, fabrication of evidence, persuading clients to make false statements, working against the interests of clients, and much more. Yes, this is hard work too. But is it legitimate? These activities could put a lawyer into dangerous and difficult situations in the future. It might result in the loss of your license to practice as an advocate or even imprisonment, adding to humiliation and loss of face in the profession. Eventually, instances of such ‘illegitimate hardwork’ come to light (and make no mistake, they do eventually become public), and consequently, you will lose all your credibility as a lawyer and respect in any court room for years to come.

Read more about Jay Goldberg's fascinating insights into his professional success and advice to lawyers in Part 2 of my forthcoming article.

Writer, Rajiv Chavan, is a Senior Advocate & Former President of Advocates' Association of Western India (2013-2015 & 2015-2018)