I had a grievance against me dismissed earlier this week. What a relief. Is it just me, or does something like that just weigh on you until it’s resolved? I have a hard time compartmentalizing a threat to my livelihood. No matter how much I try to put it out of my mind, I can feel it peeking around the blockades I build in my brain. I’m thankful that it’s behind me.

This episode lasted just 90 days. That’s not always the case. I’ve known lawyers who’ve had these investigations and disciplinary processes drag on for years. These are the times when many of us become the client like I did for the past three months. Being a client is incredibly valuable for a lawyer. In a weird, twisted way, I hope you’ve had the opportunity to be a client, even if it’s just to have a will drafted or a real estate deal closed. It changes your perspective to sit on the other side of the desk. You see things that you’ll never see until it’s you, your money, or your life that’s on the line. That’s when you really start to understand what it’s like for your clients.

For just two minutes each morning, I wish we could all imagine ourselves as clients. I wish we could think back to the moment when we sat on the other side and listened to the advice. I wish we could feel what the client feels as a reminder before we start each day. The lessons we learn from being a client serve us as lawyers, as marketers, and as employers. We learn things that we can’t learn in other ways. We come to understand things that we just can’t understand without the experience. I’m not suggesting that you go rob a liquor store so you can hire a lawyer. But I am suggesting that you give yourself the opportunity to learn from an experience with your peers when the need arises.

We’re still in Ireland. We’re exploring the area and defying death as we drive the narrow roads at high speed while on the “wrong side.” It’s terrifying and exhilarating. We spent part of the weekend in Skibbereen. That’s where the O’Donovan brothers, the silver medal winners in rowing, are from. They’re the guys who did the hysterical TV interview after winning the medal. We were there early in the day, before they raced, and could feel the excitement in the town. Posters everywhere rooted the boys on to victory. The local pride felt heartwarming. I’m glad they did well.