[...] the “lower end” legal work that needs to be done. (For insight into such work, see this post on My Attorney Blog.) And as Miller points out, not only can firms lower their own wage costs (read: increase their [...]

I hear ya – just the other day, someone asked me a question about evidence, and I didn’t remember a thing about the topic. I think it was some question about hearsay, or about some exception to the hearsay rule. Instead of trying to search my brain for the answer, my brain was in utter shock that the topic had become so foreign to me, as though I never studied the subject…And last month, someone mentioned some terms about basic property stuff, and I drew a blank then too. I mean, I graduated from law school, passed the bar, worked for a firm, but I have nothing to show for the fact that I actually retained anything from it.

The sad thing is, people come up to me all the time, asking me questions about the legal field. Non-attorneys are under the misconception that all attorneys know everything about the law, but that’s not true. A neighbor of mine asked me to help her draft/amend a simple contract between her and a contractor. So, without getting too detailed in the contract as she requested, I tried to simplify the contract, while making sure to include all the points she wanted me to. I was a bit rusty with drafting contracts, so it took some time. After I completed the contract, my neighbor asked me sarcastically and quite rudely, “Are you really an attorney??” I was baffled and deeply insulted by the comment…

At least you remember practicing, I’ve not had that luxury. I studied real estate law, but since the housing bubble burst, there are no jobs out there for anyone, let alone an entry level attorney. It struck me a couple of weeks back that nothing was ever to come through and that I was going to be stuck reading emails and clicking boxes for the rest of my life. I felt rather depressed.

Sometimes I ask myself, “did I go through law school to do doc review?” I originally pursued law school with the desire to use my education and skills to help others…but that dream quickly came to an end when I realized that I wasn’t making much money in the public sector and was barely getting by. And later on, when I worked at a firm, the stress level there was too much for me to handle. Doc review has helped me to do well financially and to deal with minimal stress. But I am still left with the nagging feeling that…I should be doing more for others and using my law degree in other ways than just clicking my life away…

Anyone else feel the same out there…?