A Grateful Lawyer: Reflection on 10 years of practice

Sitting in seat 15A of a jumbo jet's dimmed cabin, hovering somewhere above the Pacific Ocean doubt struck for a brief moment.  It was 1998 and I heard "Attention passengers, if there is a doctor on board would you please identify yourself."  With that 10 second announcement doubtful thoughts burrowed into my brain.  Heading from Honolulu to Madison via Seattle to begin a 3 year journey through law school, a process best described as going through boot camp while on Jeopardy, I realized I would never be on a plane and hear "Attention passengers, if there is a lawyer on board would you please identify yourself."

At the core of my decision to submit myself to the law school process and subsequent career path through the legal field was a firmly rooted desire to help others.  Would I be able to do that if I opted to be an attorney? I did the best I could at the moment, transferring my doubtful thoughts to an entry in my journal and then closed my eyes and continued down the path I had opted for the previous Spring.  I was headed to law school, time would tell if my wish would be fulfilled.

This past October marked 10 years of solo private practice for me in a practice where I a focus on estate planning and probate.  In more simple terms, I spend my days sorting through matters of illness, death and taxes.  During the past decade I have been summoned to the hospital bed of former clients in need of update documents as well as new clients desperately attempting to put their affairs in order.  Tethered to a hospital bed, a lawyer who answers the call for help is their only answer -- mobility is severely limited.  And a lesson I learned over the years; the lawyer needs to be able to furnish witnesses as well, something hospital shy away from more and more out of fear an employee of theirs will witness something and later end up in a court drama over contested documents.

Beyond offering on-site meetings in homes and hospitals for those who cannot make it to my office, I have also been the eyes, ears, and hands on the ground in Wisconsin for frail and elderly relatives living far away, unable to visit the area to attend to the home a recently departed loved one has left behind.  Part translator, part guide, part educator, I've been told I've eased their journey through the painful path of tending to a loved one's final affairs.

No, I never have and likely never will be startled awake on a flight to administer legal counsel, but after 10 years I can say I have been able to help others. And for that, I am thankful.  I look forward to another decade (or two) of helping others!

Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi, 2015

Can't You Just Look It Up?

Certain professions lend themselves to being the go-to person for answers at family gatherings.  CPAs are likely questioned about whether something was a legitimate tax write off.  Doctors are quizzed about a mysterious pain somewhere on a party goers body.  And lawyers are asked about the law.  Sadly our answers usually result in irritation rather than satisfaction.  For example:

Party Goer:  Hey Melinda, you're a lawyer, right?

Melinda:  Yes....I focus on wills, powers of attorney, probate....basically illness, death and taxes.

Party Goer:  Okay....I got a question for you.  I work with this guy who is going through a divorce in Florida.  And his employer instituted a new "no leave" policy because of the recession.  And this guy hurts his back driving to a seminar in Texas, and now he can't work.  The employer should have to pay him, right?

Melinda: Well, it depends.

Party Goer:  What do you mean.  Go look it up in a book -- isn't that what law school taught you?

Melinda:  Actually no, it taught me how to think like a lawyer.  As long as the courts and legislators are open for business, the law is in constant flux.  As I launch into a discussion about the legal process and why I can't answer this "simple" question, the party goer's eye glaze over.

Law school takes a normal human being and transforms him or her into an attorney.  The best description I've heard of it, is it it like being on Jeopardy while going through Boot Camp.  We read books, but not to memorize laws.  We read to learn about issues, spot problems, analyze and argue.  Many cases I read were from England in the 1700 and 1800s.....slightly outdated, but valuable in the concepts they highlight.

So, the next time you ask a lawyer a "simple" question, don't be annoyed when he or she says "it depends".  That is the truth.  Law is about arguments, about the gray matter of the world.  As a favorite law professor of mine said, "if you think law is like a bus schedule, you are in the wrong place."

Image credit:  www.sxc.hu - free image