subject: What's it Like to be an Attorney [print this page] What's it Like to be an Attorney What's it Like to be an Attorney
A popular cartoon called "Bee Movie" probably says it all. Lawyers are blood sucking creatures. Everybody hates them, but everybody needs them too. All too often, popular media and TV shows have portrayed an attorney as someone who bends the truth, lies, cheats and manipulates circumstances to gain favor. On the other hand, lawyers are also portrayed as people who fight for what's right, justice and equity. So, how do you reconcile those two conflicting concepts? You can't. They're both right.
To find out what it's like to be an attorney, you must either live with one or be one. If there's one thing that you could observe, lawyers seldom have the time for pure unadulterated enjoyment. Sure, you'd see them playing golf, or eating in fancy restaurants or in the casinos with the politicians and businessmen. But the sad part is, their work always finds them. This is good in a way, because being loaded with work means that you are a good attorney and therefore clients always recommends your services.
Contrary to popular belief, not all lawyers become rich. There are many lawyers out there who don't become rich because they have shunned the more lucrative aspects of the profession. Lawyers like these, represent and fight for social and environmental causes. Environmental and human rights lawyers are examples of lawyers who don't get rich. There are times when being a lawyer can also be a dangerous job. Human rights lawyers in non democratic societies often get harassed and threatened by those who are in power. Sometimes, they are also killed.
To sum it all up, being a lawyer is simply being a representative of a person. Not everybody has the intellect or the expertise to expound and solve a problem that he or she may have. An attorney fills this void by making your problem his problem.
