After some years in the profession, I have come to terms that practising law is just not like some jobs that you can go to work at 9 am, switch off at 5 pm, and not think about it until the next day.
Instead, lawyers work around the clock and there is always something to be done.
There is always the next deadline; even if the deadline is some time away, we can always get the work done earlier so that we don’t have to rush it later; we can always do some further research or read another case to strengthen our arguments; we can always read another book or attend another webinar to improve ourselves, and even having done all that, we can always write another article or attend another networking event in hopes of reaching new clients.
This is not including the times that it is not up to us, for example when we have to attend to urgent applications or urgent arrests, during the night, the early mornings, the weekends, or public holidays.
Especially now with remote working becoming easier, there is always something that we could be doing, wherever whenever.
Even if you are not working, it is hard to not be thinking about your briefs or your clients. After all, our job is to take over our clients’ problems (and anxieties) and worry about them, for them.
Eventually, one just has to accept that you will hardly ever have a care-free / work-free time, as even if you’re on holiday in Langkawi and a client or associate e-mails you, you will have to attend to it.
Of course, you can choose to not attend to it, but there will be a trade-off, either in the form of unsupervised work, or the loss of a client.
Now, is this romanticising the struggle or normalising toxic practice?
I don’t think so. I just think that this is how a lawyer’s life is, and how it will always be.
The earlier someone embraces this, the earlier he/she can be at peace with it; he/she can actively schedule downtime with the acceptance that it will mean lost productivity and billables.
On the other hand, the earlier someone recognises that he/she rejects this, the earlier he/she can choose another career and pursue something that fits his/her preferred way of living.
And the earlier young adults know about this, the earlier they can decide if a career in law is truly what they want.
This 24/7 working lifestyle also means two things though:
Firstly, clients should really be paying lawyers better.
Secondly, loving the law, i.e. being genuinely in love with drafting cause papers, reading cases, or writing articles, will not only make this more bearable, but even, enjoyable.
We can’t run away from it, but we can learn to live with it.
Do you agree? Do you want this lifestyle? Are you ready for it?
Read more on legal practice here: The Art of Advocacy