Friday, September 10, 2010

Wasted time

The other day, I spent my entire morning stuffing envelopes and mailing out legal documents.  That afternoon, Attorney 6 came into my office and sarcastically asked if I wanted to hear some great news.  Before I could respond, Attorney 3 shouted for him to wait because she wanted to see my face.

What was the news?  Attorney 6 had put the wrong dollar amount on all of the documents and they all needed to be redone.  I had effectively wasted my entire morning and would need to resend everything the next day.

What my my reaction?  Complete indifference.

It has gotten to the point where, even if I throw my work directly into a trash can, I feel the same amount of fulfillment as if everything had been done properly.*

Needless to say, Attorney 3 was pretty disappointed by my reaction.

*It could just be this job, but I honestly don't understand how anyone can get any fulfillment from being a lawyer.  No matter how much I've "accomplished" at the end of the day, it's still the exact same pile of paperwork waiting for me in the morning.   I suppose the same could be said for just about any office job, but this has bothered me for a while. 

12 comments:

  1. Wow, what dicks. Dear Karma, please act accordingly, thank you.

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  2. You didn't get at least a tingle of pleasure to see attorney 6 wipe out?

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  3. Why don't you start getting some relevant experience? Throw up something on craigslist. Free attorney available for... whatever it is you want to do. No fault divorce representation or some schtick. I'm sure you'll get clients asking for representation. Review the options (just be sure not to create an atty-client relationship) and take one that's not too tough, won't be too much of a time suck, and solve that matter. You'll feel like a million bucks getting something real done and will have some real experience to put on your resume.

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  4. Hi D:

    I actually agree with Anonymous 9-11 about Craig's list. I think it's a great idea. The only thing I would add is, don't say "free"; or they'll wonder "why"?

    You should advertise on Craig's list that you'll defend a Cook County 1st time DUI for $350. Once you get the client, feel free to contact me and I'll explain to you exactly what to do (we can do it anonymously if you'd like). It's a great way to get trial experience (I won a Cook County DUI trial this morning). You'll learn that your trial experience is applicable accross many areas of law.

    Another suggestion is to Craig's list advertise evictions (forcible entry and detainers) for $350. Most landlords would jump at the opportunity.

    BTW, you can look for legal and alternative jobs at www.lawcrossing.com for about $30/month. This is mostly high end BigLaw type jobs; but you're a smart guy who knows about philosophy and science; maybe you'll get lucky.

    Gus

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  5. Pro bono is another way to get experience. You can say on Craig's list that you are offering free "pro bono" representation for people that cannot afford an attorney for DUI. People will jump at this.

    You're an intellectual guy and might like this as well: Intellectual property pro bono IP Lawyers for the Creative Arts http://www.law-arts.org/ I've been meaning to volunteer with them. It might be fun.

    Gus

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  6. Deep down, I agree about setting up an ad on Craigslist. The thing is, I'd be incredibly nervous handling stuff on my own without any idea what I'm doing. I realize that it's probably not very hard, but my confidence level is pretty much non-existent right now. Before you say it, yes, I know I'm being a girl about this and I probably need to sack up and jump in on my own.

    I looked at the pro bono website and I think that's a more realistic option for me. They appear to offer some assistance if you have no idea what you're doing.

    I probably need to look into getting some malpractice insurance first. I'm assuming the CBA or ABA has programs for this. Anyone have any suggestions before I start looking around?

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  7. "Throw up something on craigslist. Free attorney available for... whatever it is you want to do. No fault divorce representation or some schtick."

    Or just throw up an ad saying "here's my bar number: just file your grievance now!"

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  8. Legal aid offices are always looking for attorneys who can help out with by taking pro bono cases here and there. They typically give these attorneys the less complicated matters and should be able to assist you if you need it.

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  9. ^^^Sorry for the bad grammar. Got distracted mid-sentence.

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  10. D:

    You've got the right idea about being cautious. Your problem is that you have no real mentors. (I don't think that the guys at your office are really mentoring you) The only way to really learn a practice area is by having a guy walk you through things and answer your questions directly. The problem is that really practicing law is a trade secrect that most lawyers won't share except for friends and family.

    A friend of mine volunteered for legal aid for a few months before he found a job. He had something to put on his resume but didn't learn anything. He just got status dates, did prove ups, and uncontested matters. But its worth a shot.

    Malpractice suits in criminal law are almost unheard of; especially for misdemeanors. Don't use ISBA insurance, it sucks. This is a good attorney insurance company: http://www.ritmanassoc.com/ Anyway, do you think the client who hired you to handle their case on Craigslist for $350, will then hire Jenner & Block for $50,000 to sue you for legal malpractice? LOL. Exceptions: don't do PI, contested divorce involving child custody, or big criminal.

    I've already offered to help. What do you have to lose throwing up a Craigslist ad? You know who I am; so what if I know who you are. The only thing that I ask is that, after you learn what you're doing, you graduate to charging $2-3,000 for a first time DUI. Don't become one of these bust outs who don't have the confidence to charge people money.

    Gus

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  11. Gus is right: criminals aren't likely to file malpractice actions. They are likely to file bar complaints, though.

    You said: "The thing is, I'd be incredibly nervous handling stuff on my own without any idea what I'm doing. I realize that it's probably not very hard, but my confidence level is pretty much non-existent right now. Before you say it, yes, I know I'm being a girl about this and I probably need to sack up and jump in on my own."

    First, thanks for using "sack up," because I'm a girl and I didn't know that expression. It's awesome and I am so using it on my husband the next time he complains about not wanting to do something.

    Second, you will feel that way about not knowing what the f- you're doing for at least the first two or three years of practice. (Or at least I did.) The only way you get over it is to just dive in and practice. Knowing I was planning on getting pregnant right out of school, or close to, I hung up a shingle right away. My law school classmates at firms were shocked and kept saying, "Aren't you scared?" or "You're so brave," and I would say, "No, just crazy." After a while, I realized that being brave wasn't doing hard things that were easy for me, but difficult things that were difficult and scary. I know, duh?

    And it was my solo experience that got me my first "real" lawyer job as well as almost all of my contract gigs.

    FWIW.

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  12. I have the same feeling as you D. Actually most jobs are a waste of time, most of it was invented to waste people's time and move around imaginary amounts of money. Outside of probably the military and medicine, you don't really accomplish anything in any job. The country wouldn't end tomorrow if most of these people disappeared.

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