Futurelawyer

#WhyIAmASolo - Confessions Of A Control Freak.

I write a lot about the advantages (and some disadvantages) of a solo law practice. Less bureaucracy. No employee complications. Freedom to practice in the areas and cases I choose. There are many advantages, such as having a balanced life. But, in the end, the reason I am, and have always been (mostly) a solo lawyer is that I am a control freak. I am acutely aware that we live in a world in which very few things are within our control. A spouse gets cancer and dies. Politicians somewhere start a war while you are in College. The Government decides to draft all young men. I have seen it all. So, when a Stoic realizes that his own choices are the only thing he can control, solo practice is a great answer. Every decision in my practice is mine. No committees. No long, boring studies. No budget constraints. If the money is there, at least. If you want the peace of knowing that your practice is exactly what you want it to be, solo practice is the best decision. Your life. You decide.

When Western Civilization Falls, I Will Be Dead. Should I Care?

Execupundit points to an interesting colloquy between Jordan Peterson and Camille Paglia about the future of Western Civilization. It is only seven minutes; but, they hit all the important questions. Will tech improvement that have lifted many from poverty to a middle class lifestyle be overcome by Roman like expansion that outstrips our ability to cope? Will multiculturalism and bureaucracy combine to crush the spirit of what makes Western civilizations successful? Will restrictions on free speech have a stultifying impact on innovation? Will the feel good indoctrination of modern Universities and the dumbing down of educational systems, create a society unprepared for conflict? Will identity politics create a society in which consciousness becomes irrelevant. Will the destruction of personal responsibility cause a tsunami of societal destruction? All of this said, I must live my own life as well as I can. If you are alive after me, which is a good bet, you must reap this whirlwind. Regardless, live your own life well. It is your choice.

 

Why I Drink Coffee, Eat Red Meat, And Whatever Else I Feel Like Doing.

I have toyed with Veganism, Vegetarianism, Ketogenic diets, no diets, fasting, pizza, beer, scotch, coffee, red meat, white meat, and just about everything humans have put into their mouths for millennia. I have read studies that say coffee is carcinogenic, and also essential to good health. Studies that say our food choices determine our longevity. Through it all, I have lived into my Seventies, and have become a fatalist. Each day is a new lifetime. If it ends today, I will have several cups of coffee, a big steak tonight, smoke a couple of cigars, and, in general, live the way Rat does. We only get today. What's in your stomach?

#WhyIAmAStoic - Nobody Will Write Me A Check For Ten Million Dollars.

Sometimes, Lawyers Have To Be Therapists.

Practicing law requires us to sometimes be psychological counselors and therapists. We must suppress the urge to be like Rat. Don't be like Rat.

Dr. Seuss Wisdom For Monday.

Dr. Seuss wisdom to start your week. Perhaps we should read his work in total before deciding to burn his books?

#WhyIAmASolo - I Create The Company Culture.

The Latest Truths About Working From Home. This should be a must read article for every lawyer, whether in BigLaw or SmallLaw. The new Zoom office hybrid work environment is more than disrupting. It is uprooting every management paradigm. Employees in large firms who are trapped in Zoom calls all day long are becoming disconnected from their bosses, and a majority are unhappy. The article ends with an insight that hit me between the eyes:

"A culture where breaks are encouraged and respected? It's not just that most companies don't have that. It's that America doesn't have that. America has a work culture. It doesn't have a life culture. An ethos of constant individualistic drive isn't capable of embracing, well, having a life. When you tell him that you're tired and you need a long break, Atlas just shrugs."

As a solo lawyer, I have some control over my personal work and some autonomy. If I want to work at home, I can. If I want to go to my office, I can. Happiness is about choice. It is about autonomy. If you are in BigLaw, and your personal choices are limited, you are far less likely to find fulfillment in your work. If you have to search elsewhere for a work culture that permits you to have a life, you need to examine your choices. If it is true that America is a work culture, it is up to you to choose a work environment that allows you to decide to infuse a life culture into your life. If you have that kind of choice in BigLaw, great. If not, why are you still working there?

 

Dead Friends.

In today's theme of live while you can, here is a poem I wrote a couple of years ago. How do you honor dead friends? Why, living today, of course.

DEAD FRIENDS

He watched the procession of dark colored cars

slowly moving across the asphalt.

The heat of the sun made vaporous streams of gas

lift from the soft black stone

into the air

like a prayer

to a higher power.

The mourners cried and laughed

fiddled with their ties and their hair,

as they nervously wondered

when their time would come.

Would the Church be filled with their friends?

Would they care

wherever they were?

The priest pretended to know what he was talking about.

Everyone knew that he was as much in the dark

as they were.

Everyone was happy it wasn’t them

in the coffin.

Everyone was sad that their friend was dead.

Everyone tried to remember the last time

they called his number

or visited him.

Everyone was glad they weren’t with him

at the end.

When they put him in the ground

he walked in the sun

to a place in the soft grass

and prayed to whatever was up there

that he would be ready

when his time was up.

Until then

he vowed

to make the world sing

and the flowers grow

and the people laugh

and the music lift

his spirits to heaven.

Life Is An Amusement Park...Live It.

Some deep philosophy from Rat today. I think I will go to an amusement park today.

Kindness In A Chaotic World.

Living to an old age brings wisdom. As we age, we experience more of what fate brings us. If we are lucky, we get to live to that old age. When I see that many in our society seem to want to judge others for what they do, say or think, I think about Ian McClaren's statement in the mid 1800s. The statement has been misattributed to Plato; but, it really doesn't matter who said it. It is a corollary to Marcus Aurelius speaking about every person being our brother, and not judging their actions or behavior. Just because someone doesn't post their private battle on Facebook walls doesn't mean they aren't fighting them like the rest of us. Just because someone's life seems to be charmed, doesn't mean they aren't experiencing pain. Fate and human life are filled with ups and downs. So, when you read that cancel culture has cost the job of someone because of a stupid quote or act from the past, and when you read about someone reviled for their stupid behavior, remember that they are fighting battles you know nothing about. What gives us the right to judge others? Be kind. And, hope that others will be kind. If not, remember that your reaction is within your control. Now, get out there and fight your own battles. Let others fight theirs. Be kind.