Sunday, October 23, 2011

Why This? Why Now?

Colleagues ask why I chose to write a textbook on law office management. It is not the only course I have taught to paralegal and legal studies students over the years. Why not something on legal research? Law and society? Legal writing? Those are other topics that I am passionate about, but I focused on law office management because I saw a need. As a freelance journalist, I have been covering the business of law for some time. I appreciate the incredible satisfaction that employment in this field can bring. I also recognize and understand the pressures and challenges lawyers and those who work for them face every day.

Too often, textbook authors portray an idealized, tranquil workplace. I write about a real one: with ups, downs, challenges, victories, passions, tempers, moral dilemmas. Read other books if you want to learn about utopian work settings. Read mine if you want to learn about real ones. I love lawyers: They are gritty, committed, hard working, intense. Those who work for them can experience career thrills like none other. Really, nothing beats winning. But legal battles can be long and draining. Not every case turns out as the client would like. Day-to-day oversight of a legal business and strategizing about client matters take long hours. Business peaks and ebbs.

Contemporary Law Office Management will help legal studies and paralegal students negotiate the sometimes bumpy, sometimes smooth, sometimes life-altering terrain of the legal industry. Lawyers and their intellectual endeavors can be electrifying. I hope that every student who uses my book appreciates the delights the legal field can bring to many who are involved in it. I also hope that students, on more challenging days, can rely on the guidance provided by this book to maintain their own career satisfaction. I also hope that students and instructors alike can continue their discussions about the legal workplace here. I look forward to sharing experiences and ideas.

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