The Beauty and Grace of Perspective

It is time for me to find my first post-law school job. In the States, this is known as "a law job" and in Canada, it is called "articles," a carry-over from the British tradition that has etched itself onto our American-eque law degree. In every culture, it means finding a job. And I don't have one, yet.

Now, neither do most of my friends. It is interesting, though, when talking to them, how little perspective is shown in the process. It's all zero sum, with you getting a position that I don't get and, ZOMG, how will this affect your legal career in the future???


For awhile (and maybe still sometimes today, depending on my state of mind) I got caught up in the panic, the negativity of trying to wrestle away a law job in today's economy. I get caught up in the "Grades! It's only and all about grades" phenomena of how to distinguish oneself.

But the good thing about being in your mid-thirties when you start law school (and there are less good things than you would think) is that you have, well, lived a little. In the back of your mind, you remember the soul-crushing events which you have gone though. These disappointments and set backs, in the scheme of things, were so much worse than having to hunt for a law job. And so, you remember. You have perpective.

The legal field is a demanding master, requiring concentration and excellence the likes you have never known before. It attracts a lot of people who, for one reason or another, live in the extremes. It attracts those with mental disorders and there is a touch of maniac throughout the process. And thus, the blessing of perspective.