why I want to be a lawyer

Lately, many students in the blogosphere (especially the 1Ls) are hitting that wall, where they have to go back and reconsider why they’re in law school in the first place. I understand that moment, where I’ve been working so hard, I can’t even remember why I’m doing this and a few minutes of looking back on my intentions is quite motivating.

So. Why am I in law school? What do I want to accomplish? To be honest, at this junction, I have no idea. I do still look back on my law school applications and what I wrote my essays on. I was fascinated with the law. So many different subjects in the New York TImes make very little sense without at least a broad understanding of legal principles. I didn’t understand how there could be different laws on things like drugs in Texas, California, and then this separate “federal law” that I didn’t quite grasp. One of the things that really intrigued me the most was the idea that in an agreement, the placement of a comma or a single word choice could have far-reaching consequences.

I studied biochemistry in undergrad and a similar sort of phenomenon occurs. A single nucleotide substitution in a strand of millions, can code for a different amino acid, which would then affect the polarity of that polypeptide, thus changing the shape of the final, folded protein. If your body makes an incorrect copy of just one enzyme in your body, it could lead to life-altering medical difficulties. I was blown away by the similarities and also by the differences between the legal field and the sciences.

I also spent one summer in my undergrad career working under a brilliant partner in a Texas BigLaw firm. I was lower than the legal secretary, spending most of my time helping out with copying, faxing, putting various documents in chronological order but at the same time I LOVED it. One day, my job was to go out and get a disposable camera because in the deposition, the deposed was standing on her chair and the attorneys wanted proof of this behavior. I learned how important relationships were in the practice of law. In some ways, more than your legal knowledge and abilities, one must be able to build trustworthy relationships.

Like many young law students, I also had grandiose dreams of helping out individuals who didn’t know their legal rights and remedies. I was going to help others learn to love the law, and use it to help out their cause. I spent one summer working for a local non-profit and I have to say that it is an incredible experience. Someone can walk in the door, and within a reasonable period of time, a lawyer will sit down with them and ask, “how can I help you?” What is more basic in the practice of law than that simple question? It was also so rewarding to see quick results. We could get a protective order the day after a domestic violence situation. We could get child support payments to start up within a few months, making an immeasurable difference in the budget of that family. However, I also learned that there are many challenges working in a non-profit, clients will return willingly to horrible situations, many attorneys spend much of their time gathering support, and you are forced to be creative and work without the latest technology and tools.

I’m pretty sure I want to work for a non-profit. I know that the challenges are countless but I can’t see myself enjoying long hours at the office without seeing results for six or seven years when the appeals finally run out. I would like to be able to talk to a person, a specific person, and help them with tangible, immediate needs.

So, that’s why I want to be a lawyer.