We have a joke amongst the boys here in Philly that until Jonathan Levin Philadelphia was a different world. The reason behind this is that we all went to school with Jonathan, who was actually one of the misfits believe it or not, and we have all watched him grow into one of the stat’s most highly respected attorneys. As someone who was there to watch this young boy become such a successful man, without the funds from the family that many of his contemporaries had, I can easily draw parallels between what he has managed to achieve, and how all of us can achieve our goals.
Dedication
Jonathan was never someone that you would call a serial winner in terms of sports and things like that, but when he arrived at the debate table, there was nobody who could match him. This is because he knew from a very young age what he wanted to do in life and as a result, he was wholeheartedly dedicated to becoming the best attorney that he could, even back in those early days.
Learning
As a result of this dedication Jonathan was always looking for extra ways that he could learn more about the world of law and just after he turned 16 he managed to get himself some work experience in one of the best law firms in the state, at one point I believe that he even had his own client. The point here is that he took his education into his own hands, he found opportunities to learn and gain experience and he took them with both hands.
Taking it All On
During his first few years working for a law firm after he had passed the bar, Jonathan was very rarely seen by any of us because he was working 15 hours per day, 7 days per week. I have since discovered that during this time Jonathan took on every case that he possibly could from slander claims after a newspaper expose to divorce cases and everything in-between. At the time many of us thought that he should be working smarter rather than harder, what we didn’t realize was that he was in fact doing both!
Relationships
Despite growing up as something of a misfit I would say that one of Jonathan’s greatest qualities is his ability to not only make but also to maintain healthy relationships. These relationships have not only ensured that he has a solid family and friendship base, but they have also greatly helped in him achieving his position at the top of his game. We are often told that we should make allies rather than friends, especially in cutthroat industries like business or the world of law, but Jonathan has gone against that and it worked out very well for him indeed.
These are skills that can help in any industry and in any business and they are worthwhile skills to work on.
