A lot.
Sometimes, it seems that most of what I do as an attorney is to read stuff -- cases, statutes, contracts, discovery responses, correspondence, "etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."
A while back at my previous firm, I even jokingly come up with a slogan: "We read
This has not changed now that I've transitioned back into a law firm from my solo practice. There is simply so much going on in the legal world that an individual cannot keep up with it all.
And, from a purely selfish viewpoint, that is a good thing for trial attorneys like myself. After all, we get paid to
(1) know the law;
(2) find the law;
(3) find out the facts; and
(4) advocate for our clients, based on the law and facts.
Does it get to be burdensome on occasion? Sure.
But whose job doesn't sometimes become a pain?
Despite this, I do still love the practice of law. To paraphrase what I said in a little piece I wrote for Texas Lawyer a few years ago, where else can I get paid to go head to head with smart lawyers, in semi-mortal combat, but we all get to go home in one piece?
Everyone has their niche. I finally found mine when I became an attorney.
What is your niche? What gives you workplace satisfaction? Share with the rest of us what gets you through the day at work. It's good therapy!
