Summer is almost here, so you may find yourself on vacation with a chance to do some reading. If law school and lawyering haven’t made reading something you only do for money, you probably are looking forward to reading for fun. Or perhaps to learn how to be a better attorney. So I thought it worthwhile to ask my fellow Lawyerist writers to name a few of their favorite books about lawyering (or anything else).
Their responses are below. But since this is my post, I get to go first.
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Laughable lawyers are funny—but not on purpose.
Lawyers and law schools work very hard to convince the public that we are an educated, rational, prudent bunch. It’s important to create that image of us collectively and individually, because who wants to hire an irrational, reckless lawyer?
Yet we watch helplessly as lawyers (all thinking they are just doing what lawyers do) blunder blindly down dark alleys. A few moments later, a set of spotlights come on, and, behold! This week’s Laughable Lawyer!
How does this happen? Could it happen to you?
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You might think the F-bomb is a word you should avoid like the plague. Hey, you’re a lawyer, your head filled with words that are long, sophisticated, nuanced, sometimes even Latin. You don’t need profanity to get your point across, right? Perhaps. But there are moments when it may be appropriate to abandon your impressively vast vocabulary and speak in a more informal fashion. There may even be situations where the F-bomb is the best word choice. It’s a word that, when used with skill, in the appropriate context, can put power into your message that it would otherwise lack. It can also help you come across as direct and down-to-earth, which many lawyers struggle to do.
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On my first day in law school, I listened to a speech by the school’s dean. I remember only two things from his speech: that he was wearing a green sports coat, as if he had just won the Master’s Tournament; and he used the word “guff” a lot, as in “You better not give the administration any guff.” He kept saying it over and over again, as if he were a warden of a youth offender center and we were a bunch of delinquents who had been busted for stealing hubcaps. Nothing about the curriculum. Nothing about the law. Nothing about the life of a lawyer. Nothing about the contributions we as lawyers could make to society.
Just one thing mattered above all: we weren’t supposed to give him any “guff.” And, if we were thinking of giving guff, we better quit that idea right now.
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I’m really excited to be a contributor to Lawyerist. Law is a tough, often grueling, profession, and it’s not that easy to survive in that world. I should know. I’ve been laid off or fired from 4 of the 5 firms for which I worked, which is a big reason why I’m now a comic and a formerly unhappy lawyer.
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When the weather gets hot, “must-have” fashion tends to get even hotter. While men are thinking about sporting their short sleeve dress shirts, women are getting excited about breaking out their peep-toe pumps. Last year, this phenomenon became known among women lawyers as “Peep-Toe Gate.” Will you grab a ticket to the peep show and dare to wear this controversial piece of couture during court appearances or at the office this summer?
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The decision to attend law school is an important one: one that may involve up to six figures of student loan debt. Despite the recession, many prospective law students entered law school under the false presumption that they would be able repay those loans after attaining employment upon graduation. But when law schools publish deceptive employment statistics, prospective and current law students may be basing their future livelihoods upon unreliable information.
As another academic year draws to a close, many soon-to-be and recent law school graduates have been left holding the bag as far as employment prospects are concerned. Law School Transparency, however, hopes to promote greater accuracy in law school employment data.
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During my freshman year of college, I joined a sorority. Eight years later, I still remember time spent with my sorority sisters as some of the best days of my life. Aside from the obvious social benefits, as a young professional, I have realized that being a member of a Greek life organization can also be rewarding in terms of networking and career prospects.
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This is the first installment of Dress for Success, Lawyerist’s new column on fashion for lawyers, written by Staci Zaretsky and Josh Camson.
Women lawyers, have you struggled to find a fashionable, yet professional, bag to bring to the office? Are you worried that your colleagues won’t take you seriously if your bag is too “cute”? Worse yet, have you finally managed to find a fashionable bag that’s professional enough for the office, but later discovered that it simply won’t hold your files? If any of these situations have happened to you, please take comfort in the fact that you are not alone.
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