Called to practice?
Is becoming an attorney and practicing law a "calling" or simply a choice of profession?
In my second semester of law school, I took a great class called "Seminar in the Legal Profession." The class was small (about 15 students), and we covered a broad range of topics having to do with trends and current issues in the profession. It was one of the few practical - as opposed to theoretical - classes I've taken, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Embedded in one week's reading was an article which posed the question whether practicing law was a calling or a job. I remember reading the article with acute interest, wondering if the decision to pursue a profession that most certainly gives one privileged access to the system of justice could be equated with a calling. In my mind, I had always reserved the term "calling" for professions with a religious or spiritual base - priests, nuns, pastors, youth ministers, etc.
For some, being a lawyer may very well be their own personal calling, particularly for those who vigorously pursue social justice and public interest, be it defending the accused, advocating for civil rights, prosecuting the guilty, representing the poor and otherwise unrepresented. However, I don't know that I would consider those pursuing the financial security and prestige of corporate law or securities or transactional work as being "called" to do so, not that the work isn't noble in its own right.
Unfortunately, I am not sure which side of the fence I fall on. I wish I could be a full-time, selfless crusader of social justice, but that isn't exactly the path that I have laid for myself so far. On the other hand, I am hardly headed toward a career completely void of public interest work.
The least that I can say is that I am passionate about the work that I do. I enjoy the challenges, the creativity, the fight for what I believe is right. Not every assignment or every case or every day is one that makes me feel great about the profession, but overall I know that I am doing a good thing with my life. I have an opportunity to affect change, not just in the personal lives of my future clients, but in the system of justice as a whole. Some see my outlook as naive. I certainly know too many miserable lawyers who have become increasingly pessimistic about the practice of law, rolling their eyes when I express my optimism.
I don't know whether practicing law is a calling or not. But I do know that what we do with the opportunity is a powerful choice.
In my second semester of law school, I took a great class called "Seminar in the Legal Profession." The class was small (about 15 students), and we covered a broad range of topics having to do with trends and current issues in the profession. It was one of the few practical - as opposed to theoretical - classes I've taken, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Embedded in one week's reading was an article which posed the question whether practicing law was a calling or a job. I remember reading the article with acute interest, wondering if the decision to pursue a profession that most certainly gives one privileged access to the system of justice could be equated with a calling. In my mind, I had always reserved the term "calling" for professions with a religious or spiritual base - priests, nuns, pastors, youth ministers, etc.
For some, being a lawyer may very well be their own personal calling, particularly for those who vigorously pursue social justice and public interest, be it defending the accused, advocating for civil rights, prosecuting the guilty, representing the poor and otherwise unrepresented. However, I don't know that I would consider those pursuing the financial security and prestige of corporate law or securities or transactional work as being "called" to do so, not that the work isn't noble in its own right.
Unfortunately, I am not sure which side of the fence I fall on. I wish I could be a full-time, selfless crusader of social justice, but that isn't exactly the path that I have laid for myself so far. On the other hand, I am hardly headed toward a career completely void of public interest work.
The least that I can say is that I am passionate about the work that I do. I enjoy the challenges, the creativity, the fight for what I believe is right. Not every assignment or every case or every day is one that makes me feel great about the profession, but overall I know that I am doing a good thing with my life. I have an opportunity to affect change, not just in the personal lives of my future clients, but in the system of justice as a whole. Some see my outlook as naive. I certainly know too many miserable lawyers who have become increasingly pessimistic about the practice of law, rolling their eyes when I express my optimism.
I don't know whether practicing law is a calling or not. But I do know that what we do with the opportunity is a powerful choice.
posted by Amanda at 5:40 PM
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