Why All the Love??
Writing a blog about the reality of attorneys, their work, and how it can impact their lives may seem like a real downer. I mean the attorney’s work is challenging and stressful. So why in the hell do we do it? Why do we love what we do?
Being an attorney is a wonderful privilege. If you are a nerd, like me, there are not that many professions outside of academia where you are paid to study, read, and solve word puzzles (in my opinion). I love being an attorney because I love to read and write (obviously). I also like to talk about what I read and analyze it with others. In addition, we get a crack at teaching, when we have clients we need to educate about their respective legal positions. The following are some of the reasons why I love lawyering.
Being an attorney allows you to meet and talk to people of all different walks of life with different life experiences. You get a window into people’s lives when they come to see you about their legal problems. You learn about all different types of ways of living and you learn so much more about the world and the people with which you share it. I love talking to clients about their lives. I think that is why I gravitated to working with victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence when I was a prosecutor. I found you had more opportunity to learn about people’s lives prosecuting domestic and sexual violence cases, as opposed to drug cases. And this education is really authentic due to the attorney-client privilege. Clients can legally confide in you and tell you the truth about their circumstances without fear of judgment or disclosure to anyone else. In this way, you get an honest and accurate picture of human nature, an education that you may not get in other professions.
I also love being an attorney because it gives me the opportunity to stick up for others. Working in the American judicial system can be maddening, frustrating, hurtful, and make you feel abused. So often, people are taken advantage of because our system is very flawed. It is a system that oftentimes rewards those with the most means and influence as opposed to those with the better legal and moral argument and position. I have never been a fan of bullies. Even when I was a kid, I did not like bullies. And being an attorney helps me help others stand up to them. In addition, our legal system is one that necessitates an adequate knowledge of the law in order to successfully maneuver through it. Most people don’t understand their rights. I like helping people understand their rights and what power they do have to defend their position or assert it.
There is also security in having a profession as opposed to a job. Being an attorney means you are a part of a profession. I grew up in a working-class family where education was essential to establishing a better life for yourself and your family. So, very early on, I was taught that having a career as opposed to a job meant security and a higher likelihood of not having to struggle to make ends meet. Your education which lead to your career was also something that could not be taken from you once it was earned. Being black in America, so many things are taken from you each day you choose to leave your doorstep; your dignity, your liberty, credit for your accomplishments, and sometimes your life. So having a career whose foundations were in your education that could not be taken from you is something I always loved about being an attorney and found a lot of security and comfort in.
I am sure that non-attorneys think that the driving force for those who become attorneys is money. The pursuit of a career that, seemingly, almost always guarantees a fat paycheck at the end of the day, and the esteem of the have-nots. But I think they are wrong. Actually, I know they are wrong. Not all attorneys are in positions that make those stereotypically high salaries. Many public interest and government attorneys don’t enjoy those hefty compensation packages, so the money is clearly not the driving force for those who make that choice. It was not for me when I chose to become a prosecutor and stay one for over thirteen years.
However, I am not going to insult you, readers, by saying that being able to make a good living for myself and my family does not contribute to the reasons why I love being an attorney, now that I am in private practice. But there is a big difference between wanting to get rich or be wealthy and the desire to comfortably support oneself without having to struggle. I do love the fact that being an attorney (in my opinion) gives me the capacity and opportunity to earn enough money to comfortably support myself and my family. When you come from humble means (like I did) this would have been an important aspect of any career I chose.
In preparation for writing this week’s post, I asked a few of my colleagues why they loved being an attorney. They all gave me similar reasons, like helping people and being able to solve problems. Not one of them mentioned money. And not one of them told me that they didn’t love being an attorney. So I believe that most of us love what we do because we love the profession; no matter how flawed it is or how much stress it can bring us.
