haPPylawyer
Collaborative law Section Chairs : ZacharyBayne – AllenDell , P . A . & StaceyHudon – Felix , Felix & Baseman
you ’ refartoohappy tobeanattorney .
Lawyers are often an unhappy bunch . Maybe it ’ s the long hours , the extraordinary pressure , or the ungrateful clients . Maybe it ’ s opposing counsels , who sometimes are liars or cut-throats . Or it might be our bosses , who can be rude and uncaring . It could even be our peers , who are occasionally backstabbers . Maybe it ’ s the anxiety caused by the deadlines , the unpredictability , and the frequent threat of malpractice . Whatever the cause , many of us are stressed , or bored , or frustrated , or just miserable practicing law . Simply put , a lot of us hate it .
I am the anomaly . I love practicing law . I love litigation . I love winning . Criminal prosecution . Commercial litigation . Bankruptcy . Appellate law . I loved it all .
Until I didn ’ t . Until I became a family lawyer . Until I woke up one day and thought , Families don ’ t belong in the courtroom . Until I realized , No one wins in family court . Yet someone told me the other day that I was too happy to be lawyer .
Too Happy To Be a Lawyer We were on vacation . It was a hot mid-afternoon in December , and my husband and I were taking a long , lazy walk on the Caribbean sugar sand beach . We rationalized , “ We don ’ t want to overtax our calves ,” so we sampled every bar along the way .
The young man , who had waited on us several times before , aspired to become “ an entrepreneur .” The restaurant was deserted , so we chatted about what avenues might be open to him , in today ’ s environment , in that venue . To provide context , my husband and I talked about where we had lived over the years , and the entrepreneurs we had worked with or for , or had met in our travels .
Our server was fascinated by my husband ’ s business , and that , if you create and utilize a digital application , your enterprise becomes more valuable than if , for example , it consists of personal services , as mine does .
When I mentioned that I was a lawyer , he regarded me , in my bikini top , flamingo pink cutoffs , and bare feet , skeptically .
“ What ?” I asked , amused by his incredulity , caused , I assumed , by my tan and my attire .
“ You ’ re a lawyer ?”
“ I am !”
“ I never would have guessed that .” He explained , “ You ’ re far too happy to be an attorney .”
Must be all the collaborative work I do these days .
Collaborative Work The next day , a woman I had met months earlier texted , “ Ready to pull the plug .” She wanted to schedule a divorce consult . ( Must be one of those New Year ’ s Resolution things .)
I replied , “ I can meet with you to explain your divorce process options , so that you can make an informed decision about how you want to move forward . But I ’ m only handling collaborative matters these days , helping folks reach resolution without going to war . Otherwise , I ’ m pleased to refer you to lawyers who are still taking their clients to court for their divorces .”
No wonder I ’ m so happy !
Author : Joryn Jenkins – Open Palm Law
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