Why I love being a lawyer

My firm has been given a chance to have some of its members write about "why I love being a lawyer" for one of the Bar journals. I'm cetainly not going to raise my hand and volunteer, but I was fascinated by the topic, so I'll write about it here instead.

I love being a lawyer for very selfish reasons. I wish I could say that I love it because I help the poor or bring justice to the oppressed. No, this is not standard Tari sarcasm. I believe God wants me to use my talents for His purposes, and I can't say that my law practice does that. I have a hard time with that part of things - it disappoints me. But I do like what I do; it suits me.

I like that every question is different from the last one. That facts change answers and every analysis is different. I like it when my clients are smart, as they frequently are, and that they teach me new things about their business that enable me to help them more. I like it that I can have at least a superficial conversation about a thousand different subjects, frequently just because I've reviewed or drafted documents relating to them. I've learned how developers create software code, the general layout of a power generating plant, that the US government funds IT development in Israel as a part of military aid, and that however much Americans complain about how much money US lawyers make, you've never been truly soaked until you've hired overseas outside counsel. These kinds of things make it easier to talk to all kinds of people. I have a hard time talking to people I don't know well, so all these bits and pieces mean more to me than just the work I performed or the project that someone else completed with my help.

I like that my practice allows me to work from anywhere. I can pick my boys up from school every day, take them to swimming and work from there. I love my firm for giving me this flexibility. I love that an equity partner in the office has much the same schedule; I love knowing that, if I ever get that far down the road in my career, that flexibility won't go away.

I love that the people in my office are smarter than me and have so much to teach me. I also love that sometimes we're holding hands in the dark together, learning about a new issue. Being surrounded by people who can say "I don't know" and accept that from you as well - at least as a starting point for going after the answer - is a true blessing. Egos aren't welcome in my office. I may like that reason better than all the others combined.