Why The Practice of Law Doesn’t Suck – Random Ramblings

Recently, a dear friend from law school told me that he wanted to stop

practicing law, move out of New York State, and start a second career as a school teacher.   Simply stated, he found the profession to be incredibly stressful and he didn’t enjoy the dubious ethical behavior of both plaintiffs and defense personal injury lawyers.  In his own words, “practicing law sucks . . . I wish I never went to law school.”  Mired by $130,000.00+ in law school loans, long work hours, and a complex trial filled with acrimony beginning in two weeks, his statement did not surprise me.  In fact, not a day goes by that I don’t hear the same mantra resonated by another colleague.

I’m not here to paint the profession with rosy colored glasses and say everything is wonderful, but in my personal experience, I have enjoyed the practice of law and I do not regret going to law school.

I am not immune to the every day grind of the profession.  I have experienced good days and incredibly bad days.   For example, I will never forget the first time I lost a criminal defense trial.  I was a young attorney and I prepared for trial for days on end.  I knew every aspect of the case and anticipated every possible twist or turn the prosecution could have thrown my way.  Despite my vigorous defense, my client was still found guilty of a serious assault.  I replayed every aspect of cross-examination in my mind for days and wondered what I could have done better to change the outcome.  This type of mental torture is agonizing for anyone who has devoted 100% of his or her heart and soul into a case. It is enough to make almost anyone want to quit the practice of law.  On the other hand, I’ve also experienced some of my highest points in my life to see a victim of injury action has been made whole again and my legal skills helped restore some decency to a client’s life again.  In short, I have found the professional rewards have clearly outweighed the personal regrets and turmoil.

I am not saying that the law is the right choice for everyone, but it was the right choice for me.  

Let me give you a little background about me.  I am a New York lawyer and have been so for more that a decade.  I consider myself to be a litigator and a trial attorney.  I regularly appear in criminal and civil courts throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs.  I am a lawyer by choice.  I knew that I wanted to go to law school since high school and I didn’t fall into the profession. 

I understand all the arguments against practicing law:

1. it can be void of any meaning,
2. the deadlines are incredibly stressful,
3. the work is incredibly boring.

To be frank, I’ve experienced the bad part of law.  On occasion, I too have said, “this sucks, there’s has to be a better way.”  Mostly, I’ve said those things on the eve of trial or shortly after I received a few thousand pages of discovery.  During those times, I have found it extremely difficult to balance running the practice, my family commitments, and the actual practice of law. 

As I have gotten older and more experienced as an attorney and businessman, I believe that I have found a good balance between work and family.  As such, my regrets are held at a minimum.  If you are considering going to law school, I recommend that you hold work life balance as a paramount goal.  If you can find the right balance of fighting for your clients and going to the summer time little league game or school open house, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how rewarding the profession can be.