"What's It Like Being A Lawyer?"

So...people ask me, "what’s it like being a lawyer?" Hmm...how can you artfully explain what it’s like? Well, it’s like this - it’s friggin’ 5:30 p.m. on a Friday and opposing counsel hasn’t filed their brief in opposition yet. This brief is somewhat important because, well, you have to have a draft of YOUR (20 page) reply brief by Monday a.m. As in just over 60 hours away. And oh, they have until midnight to file this damn brief. Well, 11:59 p.m. There goes an evening of drunken Friday debauchery for you. Not to mention stress for the next two day...So it’s kinda like a life that sucks, where you spend half of your time, and about 4-5 of all your waking hours.

Today, I am *not* in a happy-making work place. Why, you ask. Well, several reasons. First, the above waiting on a brief to be electronically filed. You know those waiting for water to boil sayings. True. Second, around June, I was told to write a staffing agreement for a company to use with a temp agency. This is *not* my area of expertise. In fact, the number of times I’ve done this is...0. Sweet. So I have NO idea what I’m supposed to be doing. None. Have I mentioned I have no idea what goes into this area of my job? Don’t get me wrong, this is *ultimately* part of what an employment lawyer does, but it’s kinda like throwing one into the deep end of the pool while they are still learning to swim. I am getting the hang of litigation - answers, discovery, motions, depositions, interviews, timelines, preparing for trial. THAT I know. But I haven’t had to advise clients before of these things to AVOID litigation. My mind isn’t grounded there yet. I am basically supposed to be Nostradamas, and I lack the imagination.
Anyway, I tell him from the beginning that I have no idea what I’m doing. Nonetheless, because it’s my job, I give it to him and tell him, "I still don’t understand what I was supposed to be doing. All the topics you want discussed are here, but I just don’t know." Turns out, "this wasn’t your most thoughtful work." Ok, then you *really* don’t want to know how much I’ve been thinking about this work, do you? Because it was considerable, but most of it was "huh?" So whatever.

This weekend, an Aunt from PA is coming into town. I haven’t seen her for two weeks. After she leaves this weekend, I won’t see her for THREE weeks (until October 1). However, unlike the Aunts I discussed there, she won’t ask why I’m not married. Her 30 year old son isn’t married either. (My grandfather has found a 23 year old good Greek girl he wants my cousin to marry. Luckily for him, he’s in Afghanistan, and therefore, there is the possibility she will find someone else before he returns). So dinner is actually fun, rather than painful, Greekness...