Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners

If You Think You're A 'Victim,' Don't Be A Lawyer

The practice of law is hard. Life is hard. Get used to it.

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Keith Lee

Keith Lee

So lots of people were upset with my column last week where I told people not to go to law school for stupid reasons. That I was mean or unfair. Lot’s of people said I was a jerk.

Newsflash! I said I was a jerk last year. But for anyone just now tuning in, trigger warning! It’s quite likely I will say something you will take offense with! When that happens, you should visit the comments to the post, as the commentariat is particularly sympathetic to those taking offense from strong language.

But I also received a number of emails in support of the column. In particular, I received this from a judge:

All good points about the Slate article. But the first thing that jumped out at me was the author’s use of the word “victims.” You can do a whole article on that.

Judge asks, judge gets. For reference, the judge was referring to the first sentence in the Slate article:

The greatest victims of the law-school bubble of the 2010s were the poor souls who attended law school believing it was a stepping stone to a reliably lucrative career, only to graduate into a lackluster legal job market with crushing amounts of student debt.

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One of the problems of the generation of very special snowflakes who are currently going through and completing law school is the adoption of a “victim” mindset. Being a victim used to be a bad thing. It’s not exactly something I aspire to. Actually, I go out of my way to avoid it if I can.

But for some part of this younger generation, “victim” is a mantle to be worn with pride. “Look at me! I am easily fooled, fragile, and vulnerable! Aren’t I grand?!” No. You’re not. You actually look like a buffoon. Most people are just too polite to tell you otherwise.

If you voluntarily elect to attend a graduate program at an institute of higher learning, you are not a victim. You are an active participant. You made a conscious decision to go to law school. No one grabbed you off the sidewalk, pulled you into an alley, and threatened to shank you if you didn’t go.

What’s that? Law schools weren’t exactly on the up-and-up about their employment statistics? Law school didn’t actually prepare you to practice as a lawyer? Economy in shambles? Life sucks, get a #@$#ing helmet.

Outside of sympathy from fellow “victims,” and maybe a spot in a Slate piece, blaming others for your problems — a victim mindset — will get you nowhere in life. It’s certainly not going to lead to a successful legal career. Sitting around, feeling sorry about the decisions you made, and somehow twisting logic around so your decisions were foisted upon you does not make for hiring material.

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No law firm wants someone who feels that they are a “victim.” Especially in small firms where personal responsibility is the only game in town. No one has time for someone who wants to “play victim” when they are representing real victims — of a crime, shady business deal, and the like. Your firm, and your clients, don’t have time for you to whine about being a “victim,” even if someone is trying to blackmail you. Protip: just make fun of the blackmailer instead. “Mo rover,” it will lead to awesome screeds like this.

Regardless, the point is success in almost any endeavor comes from owning your actions and making the most of the results. Learn from past mistakes, don’t wallow in them. I’ve said it before, but I suppose it’s worth repeating:

Clients don’t care about your feelings. They have a problem, they want it solved. Period. Judges don’t care about your feelings. They have a docket, they want it cleared. Opposing counsel doesn’t care about your feelings. They just want to beat you. And sometimes they want to do it vindictively.

At no point in time in dealing with these people in practice do you get to hit the boohoo button and get to have a timeout because you are a “victim” of something. Sorry, that’s not the way the real world works.

The practice of law is hard. Life is hard. Get used to it.

P.S. If you’re curious about being blackmailed and online reputation management, I’m going to be having a live discussion Wednesday, January 27th at Noon Central Time on the topic. Tune in and make fun of us. (This means you, commentariat.)

Keith Lee practices law at Hamer Law Group, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama. He writes about professional development, the law, the universe, and everything at Associate’s Mind. He is also the author of The Marble and The Sculptor: From Law School To Law Practice (affiliate link), published by the ABA. You can reach him at keith.lee@hamerlawgroup.com or on Twitter at @associatesmind.

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