TYLA President's Opinion • January 2025
Turning Failures Into Successes
As we enter a new year, it’s an ideal time to reflect on the successes and challenges of the past 12 months. In the legal profession, failure is often seen as the ultimate setback. Losing a case, having a motion denied, or watching a contract negotiation collapse can make it tempting to focus solely on what went wrong. However, failure often lays the groundwork for future success.
Michael Jordan famously said: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
This quote resonates deeply in the legal profession, where the stakes are high and the margin for error is often slim. It serves as a reminder that failure isn’t the end of the road—it’s an essential steppingstone toward growth, success, and excellence.
Early in my career, I learned this lesson firsthand. Shortly after starting my first job as an attorney, I was tasked with drafting a routine motion. Buoyed by the confidence of having completed law school and having passed the bar, I approached the assignment with self-assurance. However, when I submitted the motion for review, I was promptly called into the partner’s office. Expecting praise, I was instead informed that I had overlooked a basic rule critical to all litigators: always check the local rules.
While I was competent enough to complete the assignment, I had overestimated my understanding of the practical aspects of law. That humbling experience taught me three invaluable lessons: (1) always check the local rules; (2) never hesitate to admit when you don’t know the answer; and (3) failure is a powerful teacher—embrace the lessons it offers. If I hadn’t failed, I wouldn’t have gained these insights.
For lawyers, it’s easier to accept failure when you know you’ve prepared thoroughly and given your best effort. Fortunately, the State Bar of Texas offers numerous resources to help lawyers learn important lessons without having to discover them the hard way. The Texas Young Lawyers Association provides a wealth of tools to guide attorneys through the challenges of practice, helping them grow both personally and professionally.
One of my favorite resources is TYLA’s If I Knew Then: Life Lessons from Legendary Texas Lawyers. This Q&A-style resource features insights from some of Texas’ most accomplished lawyers, sharing how they achieved success and the lessons they learned along the way. I recommend it to every lawyer as a treasure trove of mentoring and practical wisdom.
Similarly, TYLA’s Young Gunners podcast offers year-over-year guidance on topics ranging from civility and the Texas Lawyer’s Creed to business development strategies. This year’s series, “Pathways to Success,” highlights interviews with accomplished Texas lawyers, exploring their journeys to success. For those who enjoy podcasts, I also recommend TYLA’s Practice Areas 101 and Shero, which delve into substantive practice areas and celebrate the achievements of trailblazing women in the legal field, respectively.
Just as Jordan turned missed shots into steppingstones to greatness, lawyers can view failures as opportunities for growth. Embracing failure as part of the process brings us closer to achieving meaningful impact—for ourselves, our clients, and the profession as a whole. Every lost case, missed opportunity, or negotiation setback deepens our understanding, sharpens our advocacy, and strengthens our resolve.
The courtroom and the boardroom, like the basketball court, are arenas where greatness can be achieved. Just as Jordan’s failures don’t define him, I hope Texas lawyers can look back on their own careers and recognize that their missteps were the very lessons that paved the way for their success.
HISHAM MASRI
2024-2025 President, Texas Young Lawyers Association