This is the first installment of the Business Law Section’s “Barrister Banter” series. The purpose of the series is to bridge the gap between junior and senior business lawyers in Oregon, fostering understanding and camaraderie. For this article, we interviewed Joe Cerne, an associate at Lane Powell and a member of the Business Law Section Executive Committee. Read on to learn more about his journey into law, his favorite parts about his career, and some advice he has for both junior and senior lawyers.
- Tell me about your path to being a lawyer. What inspired you to pursue this career?
After graduating from college (University of Puget Sound–go Loggers!), I worked at Boeing in Seattle, Washington. I enjoyed my role there on the supplier management team working with aircraft supplier contracts and assisting with the relationships between Boeing suppliers and airline customers. It was my first real experience with reviewing and discussing legal contracts.
I was not part of the official Boeing legal department, so instead my role was to work with Boeing suppliers and airline customers, looking at many types of disagreements from a practical perspective and find business-first solutions. I enjoyed the creative problem solving and thought that going to law school would be worth the investment so I could continue to work with clients to help find practical solutions to their problems.
- What is your practice area?
Primarily corporate, securities, and mergers & acquisitions. I also do a fair amount of work in the startups and venture capital space, as well as some commercial real estate work.
- How long have you been in your current role?
I just finished my sixth year with Lane Powell. I was a summer associate in 2017 before I joined full time in the fall of 2018.
- How have you seen the practice change since you started practicing?
It feels like we talk a lot about pre-COVID versus post-COVID as a defining period of change—some things changed for the better; some things, maybe not. I think one of the more interesting changes is that a “conference call” is really never a phone call anymore; it’s a video call rather than a true dial-in phone call. I honestly cannot remember the last time I called in to a group conference call line that wasn’t connected to a video platform. I think many clients appreciate the sense of realness that comes with seeing their attorney in front of them.
- What do you wish you had known before you started working as a new lawyer?
That my job could be, at times, boiled down to being a professional emailer. As lawyers we are of course much more than professional emailers, but sometimes it really does feel like I should have taken an “Email Management 101” in college because so much of our communications are in emails. With that said, being effective in email communication can really set you apart from other lawyers, and make your client and opposing counsel interactions much more efficient.
- What are your career highlights?
I have found it fulfilling to participate in law school and new lawyer mentorship programs. Seeing the development of law students into new attorneys has been rewarding. In particular, seeing summer associates that I’ve worked with and mentored join the firm full time after law school has been a highlight as well. The basic things that more experienced attorneys do every day and take for granted are sometimes the most daunting to law students and new lawyers. The seemingly simple conversations often have the greatest impact on law students and new lawyers. We are all extremely busy, but the positive impact we can have on law students and new lawyers is worth the time investment. I would encourage everyone to make an effort to volunteer their time to support law students and new lawyers.
- What is your favorite part of the job?
Seeing the passion that business owners have is really inspiring. Knowing that I get to work with people who care so deeply about their employees and customers, and working hard for them, is one of my favorite parts of this job. The emotion and “off-the-clock” energy that business owners spend to take care of their employees and customers is impressive. There are of course many ways to run a successful business, but one of the common threads seems to be that everyone is passionate about what they do, and passionate about taking care of their employees and customers.
- What parts of the job do you wish you could outsource to AI?
Billing my time in six-minute increments. There are all sorts of timers and other tech resources available, but if I could outsource that entire process, including drafting billing narratives, that would be great!
- What advice would you give a new business lawyer?
Ask questions. Graduating from law school and entering the practice of law, and particularly transactional business law, can feel overwhelming. It is hard to obtain meaningful exposure to transactional business law topics/concepts in law school. Know that nobody expects you to have experience, and everyone understands you are likely seeing documents and hearing concepts/terminology for the first time. It would be concerning if you didn’t ask questions. But make sure to Google your question first! If nothing else, a few clicks on the internet will help you ask a better/more refined version of your question.
- What advice would you give a senior lawyer who is charged with mentoring a new lawyer?
Ask questions. Starting out in the practice of law, particularly for those without lawyers in their family or in their personal lives, can be extremely intimidating. Even if the questions are not on the client-focused topic, the feeling that a senior lawyer cares enough to ask “how are things going” can go a long way toward creating a sense of belonging. Being able to learn more about who someone is, and their experiences that brought them to the practice of law, will not only improve communication long term (and help deliver better results for your client), but it will also help reduce the anxiety and stress that comes along with being new to the profession. ♦