Small Law Firms

Some Lawyers Might Have Difficulty Reading Books For Pleasure

Is this is a broader phenomenon in the legal industry?

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Many hardbound books background, selective focusBefore I became a lawyer, I was an avid reader of all kinds of books. I enjoyed immersing myself in novels, and typically, I would find a good series and devour all of the books an author wrote on a particular subject. I also appreciated a good biography and would regularly pick up books about all different kinds of nonfiction matters that interested me. Since becoming a lawyer, I find that I do not read books nearly as much as I used to, and perhaps lawyers just might not get the same enjoyment out of reading as people who work in other fields do.

As a lawyer, I read all kinds of materials constantly during my working hours. When I conduct legal research, I typically need to read dozens of cases and digest all of the information that is included in such opinions. When reviewing discovery, I often need to read thousands of pages of emails, medical records, contracts, and all of the materials that were produced in that case. While negotiating commercial deals, I typically need to review long leases, voluminous asset purchase agreements, and all manner of documents associated with the deals upon which I am working. Reading all of these materials as a lawyer can not only be tiring on the eyes, it can fatigue legal practitioners to the point that they do not want to read for enjoyment in their personal time.

As a result, in my personal time, I am much more likely to watch television and movies. I also frequently play video games in my free time instead of reading. These activities do not involve the same energy as reading books, and since this is such a big departure from the reading I do at work, the movies, television programs, and video games are all far more enjoyable than reading for pleasure in most instances.

Of course, I am not saying that I never read anything for pleasure. Indeed, I usually keep some books on my phone and iPad for times when reading is the most convenient activity, such as when I’m on public transportation, waiting in line, or on an airplane. In some rare instances, I will pick up a book to relax a bit before going to bed. However, I rarely pick up a book and read when I am at home during designated leisure time like I used to.

This has definitely had some negative impacts on my life. Reading books can be a point of connection between individuals. Since I started practicing law, there have been a few popular books that friends or family have read that I just didn’t have the time or inclination to attempt. This has made it more difficult to connect with people who are better-read than I am — I probably would not be invited to the Finer Things Club with my current habits. Moreover, I might have an information gap in some areas since I have not been reading as many non-fiction works as I used to. Moreover, the leisure and enjoyment of reading, and the relaxation it can provide is generally different from other kinds of entertainment, which I am missing out on since lawyering generally turns me away from recreational reading.

A few other lawyers I polled seem to have the same issue as I do and find that they do not enjoy reading as a practicing lawyer even though they were avid readers before entering the legal profession. I would be interested to hear from readers to find out if this is a broader phenomenon in the legal industry and to get some tips lawyers might use to motivate themselves to read for pleasure even though we read all day for work. But it seems that until artificial intelligence does the reading for us in the legal field, many lawyers may have a difficult time reading for pleasure.

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Rothman Larger HeadshotJordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at [email protected].

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