A New Day for the Buddha Lawyer . . .

I suppose I should start with who I am.  I am a woman in transition.  After 15 years of practicing law at a big prestigious firm in downtown Philly I just couldn't bring myself to do it anymore.  I was very good at it, but found it hard to continue being somebody's bulldog at the end of the leash, growling and sniping at the opposition to grab a crust of bread for my client (whether they deserved it or not). 

How many parts of every day were spent on what I'd call phone calls or e-mails of hate?  The client telling you to attack the other side, both sides fighting over the phone through us -- me and the lawyer on the other side.  It's ugly and destructive in the trenches of court work.... 

When you reach a certain age (I'm 43), you stop pretending to be someone else because that's who you're "supposed" to be, and are far more true to yourself and honest and blunt with others.  And this dog-eat-dog destructive business where I'm trying to bring down your whole company, or your employees, or I'm trying to screw with your efforts to bring a summary judgment motion in a nasty and underhanded way?  I've never been into it.

I'm just a bright, quiet, thoughtful person, and now I'm old enough that I can't bear the noise of it anymore.  It's extremely common for the women in my profession to experience this kind of complete dissiliusionment with litigation by my age, and at least 10% of us, I'd say, actually go off and switch gears, getting out of the practice of law because of it.

Next blog?  Where I'm going from here.... :)  Thanks for listening. -Jules