Top Lawyers: Imran Shaukat On The 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law

Be kind: The practice of law can be filled with bombastic rhetoric and unnecessary hyperbole. But zealously advocating on behalf of your client does not mean that you have to attack your adversary personally. Be kind to your colleagues and your opponents. They will remember it.

The legal field is known to be extremely competitive. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer” in your specific field of law? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law”, we are talking to top lawyers who share what it takes to excel and stand out in your industry.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Imran Shaukat.

Imran is a principal with the law firm of Semmes, Bowen & Semmes in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to his active maritime litigation practice, Imran serves on the board of directors of the Maritime Law Association of the United States and as secretary and general counsel to Pride of Baltimore, Inc., the nonprofit that manages and operates the tall ship Pride of Baltimore II. He is a past president of the Traffic Club of Baltimore and a former board member of the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is the “backstory” that brought you to this particular career path in Law? Did you want to be an attorney “when you grew up”?

I was born just outside of Baltimore, but my family moved to the UK when I was a child. My father was a civil engineer working on the Channel Tunnel project, the rail tunnel between England and France that runs beneath the English Channel. Some of my earliest and happiest childhood memories were on trains and ferry boats. I think that a lot of kids grow up with a fondness for trains and boats. I guess that I never grew out of that fondness, and that led me to this fascinating practice area.

Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

The maritime practice at Semmes is over 100 years old and offers the most diverse range of maritime legal services in the Mid-Atlantic region. Our maritime practice involves all types of maritime litigation and transactional matters for a wide variety of local, national, and international clients. The practice includes representing and advising marine insurers and underwriters, shipowners, charterers, pilots, marinas, tug companies, stevedores, terminal operators, shipbuilders and repairers, trucking companies, ship suppliers, importers and exporters, and other entities involved in maritime commerce and transportation.

You are a successful attorney. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?

• Global Competence: The maritime industry is global. You work and interact with colleagues, clients, and adversaries who live in different countries, speak different languages, and follow work customs that will be foreign to you. Accumulating work and personal experiences in diverse environments different than your own is vital. I have lived and gone to school in the UK, spent time working for an international construction company in Istanbul, Turkey, and traveled throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. The time that I’ve spent outside of the U.S. has helped me tremendously in this global industry.
• Recognizing the Need for Help: When I was a young lawyer, I often found myself struggling to meet deadlines, to deliver polished work product, to exceed client expectations, and to develop my professional network. I spent too long not asking for help from colleagues, thinking that to do so would be a sign of weakness or that I wouldn’t be able to handle the rigors of being a litigator. Recognizing the need for help and not being afraid to ask for it, while not something that comes naturally to me, is a skill that I am developing as my career has progressed.
• Involvement Outside of the Office: Becoming involved in trade associations, non-profits, and professional organizations has helped me tremendously in developing my practice. Just as important, though, is how the relationships that I’ve formed through these organizations have enriched my enjoyment of the practice of law.

Do you think you have had luck in your success? Can you explain what you mean?

I was extremely fortunate to have secured my first job out of law school at Semmes, a firm with a rich maritime history and one that gave me the opportunity to learn from and work with titans of the maritime bar. While I did seek out the opportunity to work at Semmes, I feel very lucky to have arrived at my firm when I did.

Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?

There are as many reasons to go to law school as there are law schools. One person’s motivation for going to law school can differ drastically from another’s. Where I went to law school had a direct bearing on my success. Had I not gone to the school that I did, I likely would not have gotten a summer associate position at my firm. As a summer associate, I was introduced to the maritime practice by drafting research memoranda and assisting in drafting motions in maritime matters. After my summer associate position, I returned to the University of Baltimore for my final year of law school and took maritime law and Maryland civil procedure courses, which helped me tremendously as a first-year associate. Going to a top-tier school can be important and even a prerequisite for certain jobs. My advice is to assess your motivations for going to law school before you enroll, and pick the law school that is most in line with those motivations.

Based on the lessons you have learned from your experience, if you could go back in time and speak to your twenty-year-old self, what would you say? Would you do anything differently?

I would encourage my younger self to not worry so much about the future. Taking time to experience and enjoy life, to travel and see new places, and to meet people different from you will be much more important to your happiness and success than worrying about an LSAT score.

This is not easy work. What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?

My parents moved across the world to a new country to start a family so that their children would have opportunities that they never had. Early in my career, I worked on a case where a young man, younger than me at the time, hopped on a commercial vessel as a stowaway to escape persecution that he faced abroad. Long nights and weekends at the office come with the territory of practicing law. But I think of the sacrifices that my family made and also the risks that people take every day to have an opportunity to live a good life here. That motivates me.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I serve as secretary and general counsel to Pride of Baltimore, Inc., the 501(c)(3) organization that owns and operates the tall ship Pride of Baltimore II. Pride’s mission is to promote historical maritime education, foster economic development and tourism, and represent the people of Maryland in ports throughout the world. Like most Marylanders, I have a soft spot for the Maryland flag. To see the Maryland flag flying tall atop the Baltimore Clipper topsail schooner along the Patapsco River, or at ports near and far, always excites me.

Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?

I aim to continue developing my maritime practice and staying actively involved in my community.

Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful “war story”? Can you share the funniest?

When I was a young associate, I handled a non-maritime matter where I was defending a food processing company. In the case, the plaintiff sustained personal injuries that she alleges were caused by a foreign object embedded in a pork sausage link that she purchased from a fast-food restaurant. I arrived for the deposition of the plaintiff, checked in with the front desk, and was directed to a large conference room where counsel for the various co-defendants were waiting. As I walked back, the receptionist made the announcement on the speaker, “The Sausage Attorney has arrived and is heading back. The Sausage Attorney has arrived and is heading back.” Now, to this day, a number of my colleagues still refer to me as “The Sausage Attorney.”

Ok, fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing some advice for aspiring lawyers. Do you work remotely? Onsite? Or Hybrid? What do you think will be the future of how law offices operate? What do you prefer? Can you please explain what you mean?

Advances in remote technologies have certainly provided more flexibility to the legal profession. That said, the benefit of coming into the office every day and seeing how to practice law by watching how my mentors did it was invaluable to me. I think that flexibility of working remotely is here to stay, but I would encourage newer lawyers who are working at law firms where experienced attorneys are in the office every day to take advantage of that opportunity by coming into the office, asking questions, and learning from experienced attorneys.

How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?

COVID has changed the way that people work. An office no longer has to be a desk in a tall building downtown but can be a coffee table or an exercise bike. With continuing advances in communication technologies, many of which were a forced result of COVID, the capacity to do work away from the conventional office is here to stay.

Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?

Traditional methods of networking, whether that be speaking at conferences or attending trade shows, are an important foundation to developing a practice. Promoting those efforts of how you are developing your practice by posting through social media is a great way to share your efforts with a wider audience.

Excellent. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?” Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Become involved outside of the office: My involvement in transportation and maritime groups, organizations, and associations has provided me with countless opportunities to better understand this industry. When I was a first-year associate, I attended a holiday party hosted by the Traffic Club of Baltimore and met the organization’s leaders. I expressed my interest in getting involved with the group, and my involvement continues to this day and has opened many doors in my professional development. I would encourage all lawyers who are interested in entering a specific practice area to identify professional groups in those respective industries, reaching out to the leaders of those groups, and getting involved.
2. Work hard: Everyone works at their own pace and has their own ethic. But at the end of the day, there is no substitute for taking the time and effort to hone your skills and develop a deeper understanding of your work.
3. Be kind: The practice of law can be filled with bombastic rhetoric and unnecessary hyperbole. But zealously advocating on behalf of your client does not mean that you have to attack your adversary personally. Be kind to your colleagues and your opponents. They will remember it.
4. Listen first, think second, respond third: In the age of instant messaging, responding immediately to communications has been normalized. But life isn’t a gameshow where only the person who responds first gets points. Listen closely to what is said, take time to think about what it does or doesn’t mean, and then respond.
5. Make the time to do things you love: Growing up, I loved to play sports, go to concerts, watch movies, and do dozens of other things that people do in their spare time. When I entered law school and first started practicing law, I thought that I had to give up a lot of those interests — since I equated success with focusing on work exclusively. It took me too long to realize that you don’t have to give up those things that drive you. Making the time to do the things you love will revitalize you, make you feel better, and ultimately will make you work better.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. :-)

My friends, family, and colleagues know that I am truly obsessed with Arsenal Football Club, a London soccer team in the English Premier League. I was thrilled to learn that Arsenal was coming to the U.S. this summer for a tour and was stunned to learn that one of the only two cities they would be visiting was Baltimore. Without question, I would love to sit down and have a meal with the team’s former manager, the boss, Arsene Wenger.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!