It’s a shame that law schools don’t teach students a lot about practicing law. Even though a lot of schools are starting to offer classes that have some practical significance beyond the traditional “molding the way attorneys think,” the simple fact is that most students graduate from law school with no idea what to expect in the real world.
I am disappointed when I hear my colleagues tell me how much they despise their jobs. I’m not certain whether it is because they don’t like the area of practice they find themselves in or whether they don’t like the practice of law. Either way, I am disappointed because professional happiness is something we should all strive for. A lot of times, it seems as though people are proud to be miserable or proud to tell me how many hours they worked last Saturday evening. That’s not what life is about.
For the past two weeks, the Ironman Attorney has been in trial preparation mode. This meant late nights, early mornings, lots of legal research, and poring over seemingly minor details in various documents. I’ve come to realize that a big part of practicing law, especially as a litigator, is working hard. So there are times when I work late into the night and all weekend. But it is not the norm. I don’t want to be one of those people who is proud to work on a Saturday night.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy what I do. In fact, I am happy at work (most of the time). But my profession is only one of the four foundations that I hold as constant in my life. You see, if I spent all of my time at work, I wouldn’t have any time for the other three foundations. But if I spent no time at work, then the other three foundations would also suffer. It’s a balancing act – albeit one that I have not perfected yet. The key to professional happiness is to do what you enjoy and to let your profession serve your needs. Not the other way around. In other words, let your profession help you in developing your other foundations (i.e. family, community, persona, or whatever you identify as your foundations).
A very smart attorney once told me that I will never look back at my life wishing I spent more time with my clients. But there is a good chance I will look back at my life wishing I spent more time with my family.
Remember what is the most important, and structure your life foundations accordingly.
Back to law school. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter if schools offered a “real world” class. I’m still learning the life lesson of identifying and nurturing my foundations. At the time I graduated from law school, maybe I wouldn’t have known enough to properly apply such a class to my own situation. Maybe. But I firmly believe it would help graduates figure things out more quickly.
