Craig Day
I see a lot of positive change happening in the legal field. More lawyers are being themselves. Less lawyers are acting how they think people expect them to act. This is a really good time for attorneys and their clients. In fact, this is more than a good time, it’s a positive evolution toward lawyers focusing more on what their clients actually need in legal representation and focusing less on how they appear. Perhaps more important, it’s a time where lawyers get to be humans too, and their clients love them for it. When lawyers get to drop the lawyer facade and focus on representation, everyone wins.
I’m grateful for this progression because, truth is, I never really fit into the old model of attorney. I never dreamed of becoming a lawyer as a kid. I never imagined myself commanding a courtroom, making objections, and disintegrating opposing counsel’s witness on cross-examination. I didn’t go to law school because I “loved to argue,” rather, I went to law school because I wanted an excellent education, I thought it would help me grow, and I thought I could do good for people.
I graduated law school in May 2010, which was probably the worst time to graduate law school since law school was invented. After some big banks hosed the global economy a couple of years earlier, the barely breathing job market was still in what seemed critical condition. Finding a job, any job really, never mind one that could handle my massive law school debt, was not going to be easy. To top it all off, after spending most of the previous summer focusing mostly on yoga, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to be a lawyer anymore.
Not only did I doubt whether I wanted to be lawyer, I didn’t think the world wanted me to be a lawyer, as myself that is. I didn’t feel I could be authentic and I knew that the “fake it till you make it” approach was not going to solve the problem of not knowing where I belong. To make things even more complicated, I felt strongly that I would rather live in a tent than go enlist at a big firm. I started shopping around for tents.
Thankfully I had some past experience to shine some light through the dark clouds of life after graduation. Before I ever even thought about going to law school, I worked in a law office that primarily helped people with disability claims. I spent most of my time on that job as more of a counselor, guiding people through the disability appeal process. I was essentially holding each client’s hand and comforting them through a really tough time in their life. It was good, clean, feel good work that was rewarding to say the least. Somehow, through the programming of law school curriculum, and the often snarky law school culture, I had lost sight of that. I had forgotten where I came from. Thankfully, I was able to sit back and surrender the “elite lawyer” facade. Thankfully I was able to remember where I came from.
Feels good to have remembered. Feels good to be myself.
Thanks to those few that support me being myself. Your support has helped me support many others. Given the bright new future of our legal field, I’m sure I will get to support many, many more.
I’m grateful for this progression because, truth is, I never really fit into the old model of attorney. I never dreamed of becoming a lawyer as a kid. I never imagined myself commanding a courtroom, making objections, and disintegrating opposing counsel’s witness on cross-examination. I didn’t go to law school because I “loved to argue,” rather, I went to law school because I wanted an excellent education, I thought it would help me grow, and I thought I could do good for people.
I graduated law school in May 2010, which was probably the worst time to graduate law school since law school was invented. After some big banks hosed the global economy a couple of years earlier, the barely breathing job market was still in what seemed critical condition. Finding a job, any job really, never mind one that could handle my massive law school debt, was not going to be easy. To top it all off, after spending most of the previous summer focusing mostly on yoga, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to be a lawyer anymore.
Not only did I doubt whether I wanted to be lawyer, I didn’t think the world wanted me to be a lawyer, as myself that is. I didn’t feel I could be authentic and I knew that the “fake it till you make it” approach was not going to solve the problem of not knowing where I belong. To make things even more complicated, I felt strongly that I would rather live in a tent than go enlist at a big firm. I started shopping around for tents.
Thankfully I had some past experience to shine some light through the dark clouds of life after graduation. Before I ever even thought about going to law school, I worked in a law office that primarily helped people with disability claims. I spent most of my time on that job as more of a counselor, guiding people through the disability appeal process. I was essentially holding each client’s hand and comforting them through a really tough time in their life. It was good, clean, feel good work that was rewarding to say the least. Somehow, through the programming of law school curriculum, and the often snarky law school culture, I had lost sight of that. I had forgotten where I came from. Thankfully, I was able to sit back and surrender the “elite lawyer” facade. Thankfully I was able to remember where I came from.
Feels good to have remembered. Feels good to be myself.
Thanks to those few that support me being myself. Your support has helped me support many others. Given the bright new future of our legal field, I’m sure I will get to support many, many more.