Funny thing about representing injured folks – they’re generally grateful for my help and don’t expect me to shine shoes, fetch coffee, or kiss ass.
Ivey advises law students to hang out with B-school students, who will be “your client-overlords and referral sources” after graduation. “If you want to make rain later, learn about their nonlegal needs,” Ivey writes. “Pay attention to how they talk and think.”
Source: Law students need to stop talking like a ‘high school babysitter,’ former admissions dean says – ABA Journal
You know all those surveys about how miserable lawyers are? I bet it’s because most lawyers have to think about the “nonlegal needs” of their “client-overlord” business-school clients. That and worry about billable hours.
Don’t get me wrong – there’s stress in representing the injured. But being a plaintiff’s lawyer affords me ample room for creativity, autonomy, and a personal life. I can’t imagine working for the other side and being treated like “the help.” Oh wait, yeah I can – I did that for ten years as an IT guy. And I hated the condescension and disrespect heaped upon me by self-important corporate jerks.
So in summation, if you’re a lawyer who hates having client-overlords and would just prefer to have clients, try representing the injured. They’re by and large a much better class of people.