Straight Talk

If you want to hear some really frank talk about race, spend time around trial lawyers. Hardly a week goes by in the office without a conversation about the challenges associated with having a Black or Latino client, juror, judge, or opposing counsel. With big bucks on the line, lawyers can't afford to be delicate about such issues. I'm sure race comes up even more among criminal attorneys.

Citation, Schmitation

I have already forgotten most of what I knew about proper legal citation. My firm has a house style that has nothing to do with the Harvard Blue Book or the ALWD manual. If I were a law clerk, I'd probably look askance at the briefs I file. Hopefully the clerks who read my stuff are more open-minded than that.

Mo' Money, Mo' Lawyers

Unfortunately, you get as much justice as you can afford. One of my firm's clients is suing two defendants: one with money and one without. The big money defendant has a big money law firm that fights every point of law tooth and nail--we've had to work like crazy just to keep them in the case. The small money defendant has a small law firm that barely understands what's going on--I assume the firm just has a general practice and has never had to deal with the statutes we're suing under.
The situation is as frustrating for us as it must be for the outmatched defendant. If we get a big judgment, it will probably be against the guy who can't afford to pay it. The rich defendant could write us a check right now, but it would rather spend the money on its attorneys.

Loser

Last week the court ruled on one of the first motions I ever filed. Denied! My colleagues' attitude was essentially, "don't sweat it, judges almost never grant those." If anything, that made me feel worse. I probably racked up $1000 in billable hours fighting for that motion. An awful lot of legal fees get wasted on high-risk, low-yield legal maneuvers.

Infinite Loop of Legal Argument

Last week I wrote a document called the Plaintiff's Reply to Defendant's Response to Plaintiff's Motion to Quash Defendant's Request. This is why I love practicing law.

A New Uniform

I had to spend about $200 of my first paycheck on clothes. I bought two suits back when I was a 1L; other than that, I hadn't made a substantial clothing purchase in about four years. How could I? Until I had a steady job, I didn't know what kind of clothes I needed.

At my current job, I am expected to wear dress clothes, but not suits. That is a challenge. I spent about a month scouring Goodwill for sport coats and the internet for tailored trousers (no one--but no one--sells my pants size off the rack). In the end, I think I did pretty well. As long as my lawyer lifestyle doesn't make me fat, I should be set for work clothes for a year or more.

Once I've built up my savings a bit, maybe I'll indulge in a few high-end garments. Until then, I'm the attorney in the used jacket and discount pants.

Working (not so) Hard

Based on my experiences so far, the stories you hear about young lawyers working sixty, eighty, or a hundred hours a week are exaggerated. I've had a few late nights at work because of after-hours client meetings, but most of my days are eight to five. I am told that we'll be a lot busier when we have a trial coming up, but that only happens a few times a year.

Maybe that 'midnight oil' lifestyle only happens at the big firms. Or maybe lawyers just perpetuate the myth of the overworked associate so they can justify billing sixteen hours a day.  Nah, they wouldn't do that.