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Law Partner's Success Secret: 'Having a Plan and Being Very Dedicated to That Plan'

By Martha Neil

May 24, 2010, 4:45 pm CDT

Unlike some attorneys, Jack Garson grew up without having a lot. But that helped him develop the drive to succeed in life, he tells the Washington Post.

At age 5, he was earning 25 cents weekly polishing his dad’s shoes, taking pride both in the quality of his work and that he was trusted with the task, Garson recounts. The hand-me-downs he wore and the day-old bread he ate made clear that any money for college was going to have to come from his own hard work and that he needed great grades to succeed in life.

He delivered newspapers, mowed lawns, shoveled snow and worked in a movie theater taking tickets and cleaning up, eventually putting himself through the University of Maryland at College Park and George Washington University Law School.

A partner at Stein Sperling in suburban Washington, D.C., by age 27, he made what he describes as his most significant career misstep by leaving the firm about a decade later and going in-house with a client. This, however, led to his best career move: Missing practice tremendously, he talked to his wife, and she agreed to be his first employee in a new law firm venture, the newspaper explains.

Today, at 49, his wife is the CEO of his 10-attorney firm, Garson Claxton. Asked why he succeeded, he tells the Post, “I would say having a plan and being very dedicated to that plan. I am one of those people that if I say I’m going to do something, I do it, even if it kills me.”

Doing what you want to do—and knowing what you want to do—is also critical, he says. To figure out the answer to that question, get exposure to the world, and take a volunteer internship, if need be, to get experience. Talk to people—even plead with them for five minutes of career advice. Then create a plan that will eventually put you where you want to be in life.