I recently received an email from an undergraduate student seeking advice that might help him to determine whether a career in law was right for him. Here are some excerpts from his email request and my response. Please feel free to add to my comments and provide your own perspective - how would you have answered him?
Dear Ms. Shields:
I don't think you receive many e-mails of this type, but I'll try to keep this as brief and to the point.
I am an undergraduate student with an undeclared major. I have [done research] and I have taken assessments and think I am close to declaring a major. But when it comes to career path I am still really undecided. [The assessments I have taken seem to point to the law as a career path and I am trying to determine whether I would like it]. I have looked up all sorts of information about what it takes to be a great lawyer, and what the job atmosphere is like. I even visited once with my family's lawyer, but he is in private practice and I would also like other points of view.
I was looking through the internet and I ran into a link to your website [LawyerMeltdown.com]. I noticed that you help with lawyer meltdowns and I figured you may be able to give me some advice or a new outlook. I am not a lawyer having a meltdown by any means, but I am looking into law and if I do choose to become a lawyer, I don't think I will want to have a meltdown. So I wanted to ask you a few things:
What are some common causes of meltdown that you have seen?
What are some aspects of being a lawyer that you find people to have the most trouble dealing with?
I have seen some articles about how it can be very overwhelming to be a lawyer because there is way too much work and they are always busy working overtime, [especially] when they are starting out in a big firm. Is this really the case? Is the amount of work so intense? I definitely see myself as a person who will be focused on placing my family first when I am older, and spending time with my kids, so I want to make sure I wouldn't be going into a profession where I don't get to spend much time with my family.
Lastly, I have seen a lot of articles that say to be a good lawyer you have to be passionate about what you do. I have a little trouble grasping this because, if you look at it closely, it can be so broad. Passion in doing what exactly? Interacting, researching, presenting? I understand that they mean passion in your area, so that you will want to do all those things, but how would I ever know if I will be passionate about it unless I go into it?
I have simply been looking into the profession, and would like to know more about it from someone who's been there. I don't even really know what all the different areas exactly do(corporate, criminal, etc), but the whole field seems so broad that I don't know how I wouldn't find something I like doing.... I know what the general idea of a lawyer and what their job is, but I want to know more and I want something more specific. If you could help me out that would be great.
Sincerely,
E.A., Kansas State University
Dear E.A.:
Thank you for taking the time to write to me. Although I can give you my perspective, ultimately the decision about what path to choose for your future is one that only you can make. Since you are an undergraduate with an undeclared major, I am guessing that you are only a sophomore or a junior in college. While the deadline to declare a major may be fast approaching, there is certainly no reason to put undue pressure on yourself to determine the rest of your life right now. You have plenty of time to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life. There is much you will want to learn and experience. Don’t lock yourself in to any one profession or career path ever – but especially while you are still so young. Although in years past, many people chose one career path (and indeed, often only one job), today, people change jobs and even careers much more frequently. In addition, if you do choose to pursue a career in law, there are many avenues that will be open to you as a result. A law degree can open many doors, even if you never actually practice law in any capacity.
All of that being said, I will try to respond to your individual questions:
1. There are many factors which contribute to what I call “lawyer meltdown.” Law school, like any other form of higher education these days, is not cheap, and many lawyers are only able to complete law school by taking out rather large loans to finance their education. As a result, they graduate from law school with significant debt and financial pressure.
As I indicated above, a law degree can provide many opportunities, but the practice of law is a demanding profession. Lawyers have significant ethical and fiduciary responsibilities and their work often affects their clients in very profound ways. It can be difficult to disengage from work at the end of the day or week, and some lawyers internalize their clients’ problems and issues.
Many law firms demand long hours, particularly for new lawyers. Lawyers that start their own firms or seek to move up to partnership have additional business development pressures and requirements.
Lawyers tend to be perfectionists, and the system of legal education often teaches lawyers how to identify problems without necessarily equipping them with the skills or the means to solve those problems. Most law schools teach substantive legal issues but provide very little, if any, training about the business side of the practice or how to attract and satisfy clients. Many lawyers think that they’re alone in these difficulties and are brought up and/or educated to believe that they can do anything, and therefore they don’t recognize when they need help or don’t want to ask for it.
The good news is that a lot of these problems are preventable. There are great resources available for lawyers and for law students if they choose to avail themselves of them. In addition, some lawyers are better suited for pure legal work while others are more entrepreneurial and are better suited to be owners or managers. Some lawyer discontent arises not from the choice of the wrong profession, but from the wrong choice of job, practice area or business structure, or from a lack of systems or structure, poor delegating or time management skills or other problems that have nothing to do with the practice of law or the profession itself.
2. The amount of work for a young lawyer can be VERY intense, as I mentioned above, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Many firms today have flex time or part time work arrangements. If work in a large firm isn’t for you and you are looking for a more 9 to 5 lifestyle, there are many other options for lawyers, including in-house legal work, government work, or work for firms with more flexible billable hour and time requirements.
Your law degree does not necessarily have to lead you into the practice of law itself – the options are almost limitless. In addition, technology is changing the practice of law, allowing lawyers to work from anywhere. Some lawyers have even started virtual firms.
Work/life balance has been getting increased attention in the legal world and lawyers are working to create work structures that allow them to spend time with family and still satisfy work and client obligations. Right now, many of the high paying legal jobs require long hours, but there are trade-offs as with anything else. It’s a matter of knowing your priorities and recognizing what sacrifices you’re willing to make to reach the goals you set for yourself. Sometimes the sacrifice is time, sometimes it’s money, sometimes it’s freedom – and sometimes it’s a combination.
3. I firmly believe that in order to reach your highest potential and to get the most pleasure out of what you do, you must feel passionate about it – whether it’s law or anything else. But no matter what career or job you choose, there will always be aspects of your work that you don’t like. That’s just reality.
Yes, ‘passion’ is very broad. You can be passionate about what you do, who you do it for, or how you do it – or some combination of those. Some lawyers are inspired to help a specific population – the elderly, the falsely accused, women going through a divorce. Some are passionate about what they do on a daily basis – they love the drama of the courtroom and the excitement of trials, or they enjoy the intellectual challenge of legal research or negotiating the best deal for their clients. But the best and most satisfied lawyers look forward to going to work every day.
Yet another perspective on the question of passion is this: some people work in order to make the money necessary for them to follow their passions in their spare time. Rather than seeking passion in their work, they seek work that will provide them with the time and financial stability to be passionate about their leisure activities, charity work, etc. Getting paid for your passion is, at least in my opinion, the ideal, but it isn’t necessarily the only path.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck and enjoy the remainder of your college years – they will be some of the best of your life.
Allison C. Shields
Legal Ease Consulting, Inc.
If you have questions about "lawyer meltdown" or want more information to help you get more satisfaction out of your law practice, please visit my website, www.LawyerMeltdown.com. View my post about how even young lawyers can take charge of their own practices here.
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