Aurora Donnelly is a solo practitioner always looking forward to the next exciting transition.
Things are not getting any easier for lawyers in transition. For those looking for work, the news is continues to be disheartening. While we are not seeing the mass layoffs of a few months ago, there is an insidious trickle of layoffs, 10 or 12 associates here, five or six associates there. For those contemplating a solo practice, the idea of finding paying clients is a source of anxiety.
Simultaneously, many people are considering a legal career and are applying to law schools, according to some sources, in unprecedented numbers. Unfazed by the number of lawyers out of work, aspiring attorneys are studying to take LSATs, signing up for the test, lining up financial aid and in general actively starting down the road to becoming lawyers.
All of us practicing attorneys come across these people in our daily lives. These would-be lawyers ask us for advice. So, what would you say to these people?
I was curious about this phenomenon and so I have been conducting an informal poll among my colleagues. And the results of my poll are both surprising and surprisingly consistent.
Almost unanimously, the lawyers I asked answered with a resounding, “Yes, law school is a great idea!” I know, you are shocked, so was I. I expected some positive responses, but I also expected just as many lawyers to exclaim, “Are you crazy, have you read the news lately?”
Those I asked did have qualifications to their affirmative answers, but their positive attitude reaffirmed my profound love of the profession and my steadfast belief that I picked the right career, in spite of the current circumstances.
This group of lawyers, all hit hard by the financial downturn, were still extremely committed to our profession, still love the law and wouldn’t do anything differently regarding their careers. The economy will rebound at some point, we will all still be lawyers and will emerge out of this downturn to continue our work. I am not sure there are many other professions where you would get the same response.
One more thought. I think the current economic difficulties are making people more sympathetic toward lawyers. A person I met at a fundraiser told me that she doesn’t hate lawyers so much any more in view of what they are going through in this economy. Additionally, she found a lawyer that did wonderful work for her and she is now a fan.
And, finally, I realized that I have not heard a single lawyer joke in the last year, have you? Now, that’s progress.
Attorneys in Transition Event on May 8, 2009
