By Carl Ivory
Being an attorney is not all glitz and glamor. Your typical attorney doesn’t lead the kind of life TV heroes like Matlock and Perry Mason portray. Law can be a very tedious and trying profession. It can be downright exhausting. And like everyone else, attorneys are subject to a lot of little things that can completely ruin their days.
This is not to say that being an attorney isn’t worth it. Plenty of people enjoy long and successful careers in the legal profession. It is that no career is problem-free. Every job has its little annoyances and idiosyncrasies. You just have to learn to deal with them in a productive way.
Getting back to practicing law, here are five little things that can ruin an attorney’s day:
1. A Bout of Insecurity
When you are an attorney, insecurity comes with the job. The best attorneys don’t spend their days doubting their ability to win a case. And yet, small bouts of insecurity here and there are pretty routine. A moment of insecurity at the wrong time can be a day killer, that’s for sure.
An insecure attorney starts questioning their decisions. Insecurity leads to a lack of confidence as well. An attorney who goes into court or a meeting lacking confidence is one who is likely to walk out on the losing end.
2. Wet and Dirty Shoes
Speaking of insecurity and a lack of confidence, have you ever attended a formal event with wet and dirty shoes? It is uncomfortable, to say the least. Imagine being an attorney with an important case on the docket. You are forced to walk through a driving rain on your way to the courthouse, and your shoes get soaked clean through. Count on being uncomfortable the rest of the day. And by the way, you’ll be convinced that everyone is staring at your shoes even if they aren’t.
The easy solution to this problem is to invest in a pair of shoe covers. Companies like Salt Lake City’s GC Tech make waterproof shoe covers designed specifically for professionals. A good pair of shoe covers at least gives the attorney one less thing to worry about.
3. A Bad Calendaring App
Attorneys make use of calendaring apps to ensure all their tasks are done on time. Calendaring is vital in the legal industry because certain events tend to trigger other events. A calendaring app is designed to keep up with all those cascading events. Suffice it to say that a bad app can completely ruin an attorney’s day.
4. An Uncooperative Client
As strange as it seems, it is not unusual for attorneys to find themselves working with uncooperative clients. One would think that clients are smart enough to know that their full cooperation is in their best interests. But that’s not always the case. And all it takes is one uncooperative client to make an attorney’s life miserable. The lack of cooperation can certainly ruin an attorney’s day.
5. A Lack of Senior Support
Attorneys have their superiors. In a private law firm, those superiors are usually senior partners. Needless to say, a lack of support from the senior partners can make any day miserable. Attorneys expect their superiors to have their backs. They expect to be able to call on them when they need help. When that help and support is not there, practicing law can become a burden.
The legal profession is an old and honorable one. But it is not all sunshine and roses. Attorneys have their bad days just like anyone else. It comes with the territory.
