Law: A Profession, Not a Life
26 Advocates’ Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 217-224, November 2002
8 Pages Posted: 6 Apr 2010
Date Written: 2002
Abstract
I recently walked past a student bulletin board at my law faculty and saw an Association of Trial Lawyers of America Law Student Membership Program poster with the following headline: ''Trial lawyers don't just practice law. They live it." The association self-described as "the world's largest trial bar" - elsewhere states that: ''The art of advocacy demands your total involvement and dedication."
Similar statements about law's all-encompassing demands surround us in law school and at the bar. A number of years ago, I was at a meeting of associates at a law firm in Toronto. Two senior lawyers called the meeting with a view to discussing career strategies and life at the bar. It was a brief, collegial meeting. A number of issues were discussed. However, the comment that stuck in my mind was the suggestion that life in the law becomes a lot easier if you allow the line between your professional and personal lives to fade away.
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