Pick Your Fight

I’ll let you in on a little known secret: I used to be somewhat well-off.

Seriously.

Sometimes people will ask me how I became a criminal defense lawyer. I tell them the truth: I used to have a high-paying job. I got tired of it. Decided having (enough) money was just too much for me, so I decided to go to law school and become a lawyer instead.

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January 22, 2011 · Filed Under Courts & Courthouses, Practicing Law

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Idealism, Realism & the Practice of Law

When I started clerking as a law student and first began to see “what really happens” in the practice of law — as opposed to the theoretical side put forth in just about any law book I read in school — and I complained about it, I was labeled “naive” and “idealistic.”  It irritated the hell out of me; it sounded and felt like a form of brush-off, as if to say, “if you were a real lawyer, you’d understand.”

Well, I’ve been a “real lawyer” for awhile now.  Heck, I’ve even passed the point where I’m no longer called a “young lawyer” and can pay lower rates to join various associations.

But I still don’t understand.

Instead, I notice that I’m becoming more angry, more bitter and more inclined to come out swinging.  Does that mean I’m becoming more naive?  More idealistic?

I don’t think so.  I think I’m becoming more realistic.

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March 3, 2010 · Filed Under Practicing Law

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