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July 17, 2009
Work-life balance is still a dumb-ass issue.
1. Practicing law is difficult and demanding--even for brilliant, diligent, ambitious and accomplished people. We've said this before. No big deal.
2. If you wanted just a job, you got into the wrong line of work.
3. Someone has done you a disservice if you believe employers exist to serve you--and to make you happy. We exist for customers and clients. We will train you--and work very hard to do that.
4. But "work-life" balance is "your" problem--not our firm's or mine. Each one of us creates our quality of life as we learn to be lawyers, develop standards, hold hard to those standards every day, and attend to the main event: clients.
5. If you are a job-hunting student or young lawyer expecting our firm to support a regime of work-life harmony, please try another shop. That is always your problem. We are happy and well-rounded people who work our asses off. However, people twice as smart and as hardworking as you paid huge dues to be able to call himself or herself a "lawyer". Please go away.
Color us Midwestern. It's privilege to work. It's a privilege to practice law.
(from an October 2006 post)
Posted by JD Hull at July 17, 2009 11:59 PM
Comments
"It's privilege to work. It's a privilege to practice law."
Finally a blog that gets it.
Posted by: Hayden O'Byrne at July 17, 2009 06:20 PM
"It's privilege to work. It's a privilege to practice law."
I cannot imagine working at a job I didn't like. Every time I hear a lawyer saying that he doesn't like out profession I tell him to quit. And he should. Now. What we do is too important to be done by those that don't have a passion for what we do.
The good news is we live in a country where we can make money doing whatever we enjoy. Like magic tricks? You can make a living doing magic tricks. Like animals? Be a vet. Run a kennel. Work in a dog grooming service.
But don't do something you don't like to do just for the money. And for heaven's sake don't practice law if you don't want to do it, because you are not only making yourself unhappy. You are also hurting our profession and irritating the hell out of those of us who love what we do.
Posted by: John A. Day at July 27, 2009 09:30 PM