Summary: Once an attorney is able to gain a different perspective of what they are as an attorney in the legal industry, they will be able to face the facts and be satisfied with what their career will be.
After going through the years of hard work to become an attorney, giving up because you lost the joy in your career is not the solution. “How to Beat the System and Stop Being a Profit-Driven Workaholic Attorney” provides advice for attorneys that want to get out of the rut they feel trapped in so they can start enjoying their work again.
Harrison Barnes gives attorneys insight into how they can think about their legal career in another way. Having a different outlook on practicing law can lead to a happier and more fulfilling life instead of one as a drone-like attorney that feels like a commodity. Here are three reasons that attorneys are failing:
- The reason they are an attorney
Often the reasons that attorneys want to practice law are wrong. Going into any job just because it makes a lot of money does mean you will be able to maintain the dedication to the job that is required to make that money. You must enjoy the job to keep with it long enough to reap the financial rewards. A lot of people want to be attorneys because they think they will make a lot of money. Unfortunately, once they are an attorney, they quickly realize they do not get enough free time to enjoy the money they are making. You must have a passion for the job if you want to be successful and happy.
- Mismanaging their career
Attorneys need to be producing quality work if they wish to remain successful. Law firms are quick to weed out attorneys that are not producing work that works at their required level. An attorney that is managing their career is improving their work and delivering a better product to justify their prices. This includes delivering work your work on time and error free since the legal industry relies on timely and accurate information. An attorney not doing this will quickly be pushed aside, squeezed out, or plain kicked out of their job.
- Location
An attorney trying to charge top dollar in a small market will have a hard time staying in business. Attorneys that are in the wrong location either because of a lack of work, practice area, or city will find it hard to maintain their job and billing rates. Evaluate the location thoroughly before jumping into it. This may even mean that going solo or with a smaller firm instead of a large law firm is the better option.
The only way that attorneys will enjoy their job and succeed at it is if they realize they are a business and part of a system that is brutal and unforgiving. Once they understand what they are going to deal with on a regular basis, they will be better prepared to handle it. They can adapt and make the situation work for their needs.
Do you think attorneys truly understand what the career requires before they get into it? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
To learn more about what it takes to be happy as an attorney, read these articles:
- Attorneys Develop Big Egos, Ruining Their Happiness
- Why Most Attorneys Are Unhappy
- Be Happy as an Attorney or Find Something New
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