The Path To and From the Law

How lawyers got to the places they are always fascinates me. Good lawyers, bad lawyers, sharp lawyers, mediocre ones, the reasons they went into the profession and, sometimes, the reasons they got out always seem to be engaging stories, different than the ones to and from other professions somehow. 

I’ve known fantastic lawyers who started out as musicians and got tired of being poor, or as artists, or as nerds. Some have been altruists, others, politicians. Most recently I read about Adriana Gardella’s route to lawyerdom. Adriana Gardella, Auditioning for the Role of Young Professional, NYTimes.com (March 14, 2015). Once an actor, once a lawyer, today she is a writer.

Is there a right or wrong reason for entering or exiting the field? Of course not. All I really know for sure is that having a J.D. always helps no matter which way a career’s path turns.

—Lori Tripoli

Considering entering or exiting the legal field? Consider these posts:

• How to Survive a Depression, a Recession, and a Free-Fall Plummet
• How to Thrive in the Diminishing World of the Legal Business
• Have a J.D. and a Dream? Persevere through Troubled Times
• The Versatility of a J.D.

 

 

What Lawyers Can Still Learn from Watergate

There are all sorts of lessons to be learned by reading the New York Times obituary of Frank Strickler, a lawyer who represented one of the Watergate defendants in the Nixon administration. Strickler got the gig by answering the phone in the middle of the night while he was on vacation. Lawyers, do you pick up then? Would your prospective, in –need client be channeled to voicemail? How do you make sure your name is on someone’s emergency short list to call? Are you ready for a high-stakes, publicity-laden case? Is your staff? Can it handle the media attention and prospective negative public opinion? Is your office sufficiently secure?