David Goggins wrote in his first book, “Human beings change through study, habit, and stories.” The same can be said for new lawyers. After opening my firm, I found one of the most challenging transitions I had was coming from a large, collegial office setting with mentors available to ask questions to working completely on my own. I realized pretty quickly that I needed to put some process in place to teach myself areas of the law I did not know well and to stay current on the law.

My process looks a lot like Goggins’ process for change. First, there is study. Every day I spend a few minutes — even as few as fifteen — reading a legal treatise. Currently I am reading a few different ones, including a treatise on the history of offender registries and the studies that have so far been done on them, Scalia and Garner’s treatise on statutory interpretation, and a book on false confessions. I take notes while I read and keep the notes for future use in appellate briefs, trial court pleadings, etc.

Second, there are my daily habits. Every day of the week I have a particular checklist that I follow to stay current on the law. Every day I check the Indiana Courts’ website for news releases. I also check the opinions and memorandum decisions handed down daily by the appellate courts. On Mondays, I also check what oral arguments have been scheduled. If I see one of interest, I place a reminder on my calendar to watch the livestream.

On Tuesdays I check the weekly transfer dispositions. If one or more of the justices would voted to grant transfer in a criminal case, I review the decision from the Court of Appeals, looking for any “trends” or areas of interest the justices may have. On Wednesdays I check the opinions released by the Seventh Circuit for the last week, and I check the cert petitions filed with the High Court in Indiana cases.

On Thursdays I check for any new proposed court rule amendments, and on Friday I check other orders of interest issued by the Indiana Supreme Court, including attorney discipline orders/opinions, and other orders. All of this can be found on the Indiana Courts’ website at in.gov/judiciary.

Finally, there are stories. This involves finding time every week to talk to other lawyers about cases. It can be something as brief as a phone call or an email. Or it could be listening to a podcast on a wrongful conviction, on DCS overreach, on a cold case, etc.. Or it could be watching a YouTube video or TED Talk on a relevant subject, an old CLE seminar, etc. It is essentially hearing a perspective that is different from my own.

If you are new to the law or find yourself not spending enough time staying current on the law, consider implementing a process of study, habits, and stories.