Departure Memo of the Day: I'm Running Away To Join The Circus

The circus is less of a high-wire act than Biglaw.

Do little kids actually threaten to run away and join the circus anymore? Do people still go to the circus anymore? When I think of “circus,” I think of “vaguely mistreated animals and freakish humans objectified for the amusement of the masses.”

Or, if it’s “not that kind of circus,” then I think you are talking about homosexual, ambidextrous French people.

Either way, I’m not thinking of “fun for the whole family,” and I’m certainly not thinking of a place that people run to in order to be free and live beyond society’s rules and prohibitions.

But I’m no longer a Biglaw lawyer. If I was, maybe leaving my job to join the circus would be like living a dream…

This departure memo comes from Mintz Levin. It’s kind of bland, until our guy gets to what he’s doing next:

All,

Today will be my last day at Mintz Levin. I am fortunate to have started my career here, and for the opportunities that the firm has given me. I will miss my friends and classmates with whom I summered back in 2008, as well as the humanity and good humor of everyone in the New York office and the Corporate group. I am grateful to have counted myself among your ranks over these last few years.

I am running away to join the circus. I have taken a new position with Circus Flora, a lovely and unique one-ring traveling circus based out of St. Louis, as Associate Artistic Director. I welcome your clown jokes and corporate-law-as-circus metaphors, if they are funny.

Please stay in touch: [redacted]

All the best,

[Clown Lawyer]

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Well, I’ve waited a year for the right place to use this reference:

So, what is this Circus Flora? Well, let me Google that for you:

Founder’s Vision Statement…

Circus Flora is a Theater Company, specializing in one-ring circus production, based on the focused energy of traditional circus arts, and showcasing the working partnership of humans and animals. It is our goal to create a truly American Classical Circus, with a narrative that engages audience members personally and emotionally. The world class company of Circus Flora becomes a family, preserving classical circus traditions, particularly of Europe, while incorporating innovative techniques and original new artists. We are dedicated to sponsoring young talent and fostering new acts through programs of education and outreach. Each production of Circus Flora presents not only a theme, but a story, serving as a framework in which our ensemble company can celebrate life – a life in which humans and animals are closely united in one physical and symbolic sawdust ring.

Here’s a photo of the associate working at Mintz Levin:

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I can certainly see why he’d want to leave Biglaw and join the circus.