Ed. note: Welcome to the latest installment of “Notes from the Breadline,” a column by a laid-off lawyer in New York. Prior columns are collected here. You can reach Roxana St. Thomas by email (at roxanastthomas@gmail.com), follow her on Twitter, or find her on Facebook.
In last week’s installment of Notes from the Breadline, I enumerated a few of the reasons why I thought that hanging out the proverbial shingle was not right for me. You may further recall that the commentariat came ou, in force, to point out the infirmities in my position. (I know I do.)
“Who knew that the question of whether to venture into solo practice would be such a divisive one?” I asked Lat, pulling the remnants of virtual rotten tomatoes from my hair. “You would think that I had insulted Susan Boyle. What am I missing?”
As we talked about the (numerous) ideas proffered by readers, Lat stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well, Roxana,” he said, referring to the suggestion of several commenters, “in light of recent events, you might want to think twice about advertising on Craigslist.”
He paused for a moment to take a sip of coffee (which runs, hot and cold, from a spigot in his office). “But, while I agree that hanging out a shingle isn’t for everyone, perhaps this whole idea deserves a second look. Maybe you need to talk to a professional.”
“What are you trying to say?” I asked pointedly.
“Hehe,” he chuckled. “What I meant is that maybe you should get another perspective.”
Lat was right: I needed to gather more information before categorically ruling out anything, whether it was the possibility of striking out on my own or one of the countless other ideas I had entertained. But who could I talk to?
After asking around and conducting a bit of due diligence, I reached out to Ari Kaplan, a writer and former practicing attorney who has become something of a professional development guru.
Like many of us, Ari was an associate at a Biglaw firm (McDermott Will & Emery), for much of his career. While he was busy toiling away, billing hours, and scrambling to keep his head above water through various cycles of boom and bust, he was also consistently churning out articles on an assortment of topics. Ari estimates that, while he was a practicing attorney, he wrote about 120 articles for publication.
These efforts eventually led him to write a book, The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career, which was published last year. Ari now works full-time as a professional writer and speaker.
Read about Ari’s professional journey, and his insights for Roxana on hers, after the jump.
Continue reading “Notes from the Breadline: Let My Inspiration Flow”
* Harvard 3L Juan Valdivieso talks about his plans for his Morgan Lewis $60K deferral stipend. [Boston Globe]
