Don’t Hate Me Because I’m a Lawyer
There are lots of reasons why you and I might not get along… I’m loud. I vote Democrat. I like country music - and R&B. I’m terribly corny. I have never been to Disney. I do not think Jim Carrey is funny. I’ve never seen ET (he freaks me out). I hate boxing. I think pointy shoes are… pointless.
You get the picture.
But one thing you shouldn’t hate me for? Simply being a lawyer.
Yeah, I know it’s trendy and cool lately to eschew lawyers as elitist assholes. And yes, some of them are. But that’s because they were assholes to begin with - not because they were lawyers.
And, of all people, I am not always the biggest champion of the profession. But the reality is that I do know lots of good and decent folks who are lawyers. And that’s because they were good and decent to begin with.
I like to think that I’m like that. Good and decent, that is.
But that’s not what everyone sees. They see the lawyer label and think that somehow that defines me. It does not.
This was made clear to me in the midst of the whole neighborhood debacle - you know, the one where I said the thing that some people think I should not have said? In every single slam against me, it was thrown in my face that I was a lawyer. Not that I was loud or rude or wrong. That I was a lawyer.
Lawyer, lawyer, lawyer. As if it was a dirty word.
And it’s not the first time.
I’ve seen the expressions when I say what I do for a living. The smirks, the raised eyebrows. And I’ve found myself turning defensive: “Oh no no, we’re the good kind of lawyers!” And I know that it doesn’t matter: an opinion of me has already been set.
And I know what the opinion is… I’ve heard it over and over. Based on that one little word, people assume I’m rich, egotistical and spoiled. They accuse me of being (gasp) elitist.
Gosh, if only.
Only the truth is that being a lawyer doesn’t make you elitist. But please, don’t get distracted by the facts. Rush on to judgment. Because hating those that you think are elitist is the new black. There’s a whole divisive element in our country that wants to punish those that you want to believe aren’t like you… And thanks to a certain famous hockey mom, it’s popular to be blatant about it. But here’s a little advice from a not so famous soccer mom: that doesn’t make it right.
Just think how you would feel if I jumped to conclusions based on your job. How would that be remotely fair?
It’s not. It’s not and you know it.
And I’m tired of it.
I am proud of who I am. Being a lawyer wasn’t something that was handed to me. I worked for it. I worked very hard. And I will not be apologetic for that.
I don’t claim to be perfect. If you knew me, you’d know that, too. I probably beat myself up more than anyone. Maybe it’s being a middle child. Maybe it’s a girl thing. But it’s not a lawyer thing.
So this is what it boils down to… I’m not going to say that you have to like me. But here’s a thought: get to know me before you hate me.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:44 am
I can imagine you get a lot of general ick thrown at you for this and, really, I don’t envy you. I have some personal hatred for some specific, known unethical attorneys and a general distaste for those whom I have not yet had the “pleasure” of meeting that act in unethical fashions. BUT, one of my oldest friends is now a lawyer and I know he’s a good man. As are the countless others who have helped pave the way for ethical reform!
So, pfft, your lawyer status doesn’t bother me. Neither does your dislike of Jim Carrey. However, I am going to make you sit down and watch ET. It’s a must!
October 14th, 2008 at 12:48 am
WELL SAID!!!!!!! HEAR HEAR!!!!
October 14th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Living in LA you get to do a lot of different kind of work as you’re waiting to “make it” and one of my gigs was as a evening/night word processor at a big downtown law firm. And because I had no investment in really “making it” in THAT field, I really got to appreciate the work lawyers do, from all points of view. (So much so that I actually thought about going to law school… then I remembered I didn’t want to BE an attorney, I just wanted to PLAY one! So I wrote a play with a female lead litigator instead
I’m not “intimidated” by lawyers at all — am very appreciative of their brains, logic, strategic wiles, stick-to-it-ness and yes, even heart. As with any profession, there are are *ssholes and creeps mixed in with the good guys — but I will always think of the law as a noble profession.
October 14th, 2008 at 8:29 am
i would have gone to law school except that my mother would have disowned me because of her great loathing for her ex-husband/my father - the t & e lawyer…
i like you for all the things in your first paragraph!
October 14th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I’ve recently decided that it should instead be GP doctors that get this flack. Mine just refused to write me a referral for a chiropractor because she didn’t believe in them, thus I was unable to get insurance to cover it. She also fights with me over my vegan diet. Then I had my gyno refuse to give me a prescription for the pill I had been taking for years, instead giving me one that “everyone is taking” that ended up making me sick. At least your lawyer is fighting for you not against you.
“I hate doctors” is the new “I hate lawyers.” Spread the word.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:17 am
I totally sympathize; just think of all the “first let’s kill all the lawyers” mugs out there — I’m sure Shakespeare didn’t expect that when he wrote the line. Of course, as a college professor I’m a snobby elitist (and one whom people mistakenly believe is making a lot of money for not “really” working — neither of those assumptions is true) who wants to poison the minds of America’s youth, etc. So what do I know?