Adventures in Lawyerland

You asked for more lawyer stories. You got it. But, as all good stories should, we'll have to start at the very beginning.

My dad's a lawyer. My uncle's a lawyer. I grew up working in their office. From a very early age, I learned important lessons like:

"Just because you're related to a partner doesn't mean you get to work less hard. You have to work twice as hard to justify being here."

"We're a team. There are no superstars on this team. And if what the team needs from you for a victory is 5 mind-numbing hours in front of a copy machine, you do it. With a smile on your face."

And my personal favorite... "We rent this time from you! From 9 am to 5 pm, you work for me. Play on your own time."

It shouldn't have been a surprise when I announced junior year that I wanted to be a lawyer too. My dad's response? "Are you sure? Don't you want to get a good job?" My mom's? "Well, you better get your grades up, young lady, or you're not going to get in anywhere!"

Ahh... Can't you feel the love and support radiating off the screen? (It's a good thing my mom never knew about that D in nutrition or should would have been even more concerned about my grades)

But other than a brief stint where I wanted to be a ballerina (and I'm far too short, busty and klutzy for that job!), I've always wanted to be a lawyer.

Before I was allowed to do any more thinking about the law as a future career path, my dad ran to the local Blockbuster and brought home "The Paper Chase." He described it as being about as close to your typical 1L (first year) experience without being there. He absolutely forbid me from applying to any law school until I watched the movie.

So I watched it. That night, in fact, just so he'd see how serious I was about this. It was a great movie. I say this now after having the benefit of surviving my 1L year and laughing at the similarities. The pains of struggling to learn through the Socratic method. The scary professors. The madness of exams. Those who can't hack it. If you or anyone you know wants to go to law school, watch this movie first. Particularly if your last name is Hart. You need to know what you're in for!

Like I said, I watched. I discussed the movie with my dad. He tried his best to scare me out of it. He did an admirable job, but I was undeterred. When he saw this, he smiled, ruffled my hair and told me he'd help however he could. Of course, he had to agree with my mom - I had to stop coasting my way through my Criminology classes and actually pick up a text book every once in a while.

The time for fun and games was rapidly coming to an end, with the LSAT looming in the future. But that's a story for another day and where we'll pick up next time.