I find that when I work on certain cases, I have more pep in my step. There is a percentage of my cases that I find myself hustling a little extra to work on. I get excited about turning back to them. I am pumped to move them along. I am thrilled to mull over the issues and work through the problems of those cases. Those cases interest me and they test my legal stamina and acumen. When they are resolved, I look back fondly on the work and appreciate the process through which I was able to shepherd the client. Can’t ALL the cases upon which we work be like this or is that a fool’s errand? 

               I don’t think I am alone in this. Perhaps I am the only lawyer that is willing to publicly admit it, but who are we kidding?! The private general practitioner is one that often works on a diaspora of types of cases. Is it so shocking that some of those cases upon which we work delight us more than others? To admit that a certain percentage of our cases excite us is to simultaneously admit that others are…errr….not so much. Some cases are more routine and therefore not always so riveting. Is it sacrilege to write that, or just honest? I cannot imagine that clients don’t recognize and understand that their matter may be not the most titillating upon which to work; they just need the legal work done…or do they?

                I think it’s important to clarify. Just because I am not terribly excited to work on some of my cases doesn’t translate to me NOT being willing to work on them with the ferocity and determination necessary. This is a comment about how I feel about the work sometimes, not how well I am committed to doing it. One can feel so-so about some aspects of their job, but still do them well and with the utmost competence. Is there a way to reduce the ratio, however? Is there a way to fill one’s docket with ONLY those cases that manage to consistently fill you with excitement and interest? Or is it just a fact of working life for us all that there will be aspects of our jobs, no matter how much we love them, that feel very routine and sometimes, uninteresting?

                  I thought I would write about this this week because I have been fortunate to work on many very interesting cases and work with some very interesting clients. I have looked forward to those cases that posed interesting legal questions and circumstances. So, that just got me thinking about what if ALL of my cases were so interesting? Do other practitioners have that dream docket of cases in which all of them have legal issues with which to tangle? Or are we supposed to say that ALL the types and kinds of cases that come through the general practitioner’s door truly excite and titillate us? That doing ANY type of legal work as an attorney is supposed to fill us with intrigue and excitement and to say anything different is sacrilege. I don’t think this is fair. You mean to tell me that even physicians say that every part of their jobs they approach with excitement and zeal? Really? I cannot imagine that taking and examining fecal samples is always a doctor’s jam.

              Is it possible to fill one’s schedule with only those cases that drive our interest? Is this a real thing? Or is this a luxury only relegated to the mystical and idealistic 1% of attorneys who have the ability (and budget) to pick and choose only those types of cases that interest them? I don’t know. But I know that these types of cases that truly interest me allow me to easily find the joy in my work throughout the day. Amen to that!

*Image Credit: 8369679 © David Lewis | Dreamstime.com