Lawyer lifestyle
“Being a lawyer means spending a lot of hours reading, talking with clients, reviewing paperwork and even more reading” Lawyerlifestyle
It is funny the perspective the society has about the lifestyle of a lawyer, to some people, lawyers are boring set of people who hardly engage in any fun activity, to others, lawyers are serious minded people constantly with suit and files in hand with no social life. To top it all, being a lawyer is placed third in Yahoo’s list of careers that could ruin a person’s social life behind surgeons and registered nurses.
Due to the prestige and nobility attached to the legal profession, the general society {non-lawyers in the instant case} always scrutinize the personal life of a lawyer, one hears statements like “Oh you are a lawyer you shouldn’t dress this way or that way”, “Oh you are a lawyer you shouldn’t be seen in this kind of place”, “I didn’t know lawyers could wear this kind of haircut”, at the end of the day, because of the restrictions and expectation of the public, legal professionals are seen to live a black and white life.
Majority of the public view lawyers as reserved workaholics who don’t spend much time with friends and family. The truth is, lawyers have personal life different from work, though it is sometimes difficult to separate one from the other, because lawyers are groomed to be gentlemen at all times in our speech, dress sense and conduct.
Take social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Snapchat, e.t.c where people visit to socialise, make friends and share status, yet, what a lawyer is expected to post on such platform is different from what a lay man would ordinarily post, meaning lawyers ought to keep personal life private within circle of friends, family and loved ones.
Sometimes back, a young lawyer posted a picture of him having fun in a night club which any non-lawyer is permitted to do, but being a legal practitioner there were opinions and comments by the public not condemning the fact that he went to club but that he shouldn’t publish such pictures on social media “you are a lawyer, people should not see you living this way”.
Lawyers are permitted to have social life but are reserved about how they live it, this is why lawyers are seen as too formal and boring, because certain acts lay men do without remorse a lawyer cannot engage in.
There are two sides to a coin, while the public perceives a lawyer as proud (someone who feels he knows it all), to the lawyer being a legal practitioner is no small task, one has to go through university for a minimum of five (5) to Six (6) years, then law school before National Youth Service Corp, even after that, the reading doesn’t end, a lawyer must constantly read and do research to be on top of his game in legal practice, it is not how smart a lawyer is that makes him/her successful but the amount of time dedicated to a job.
There is hardly any interaction a lawyer has with the society that does not fall under scrutiny from the public, this makes it difficult to separate personal life from work life, the everyday life of a lawyer involves attending to clients’ problem whatever the issue maybe and being ever ready to provide legal solutions.
It is therefore not true that a lawyer doesn’t have social life; clientele and popularity are gotten when a legal practitioner mingles with the society, not just in a serious environment but also in a not-too-serious atmosphere.
A lawyer however ought to be careful in his/her interaction with the public, he/ she needs to understand and strike a balance between work and personal life no matter how hard it seems to be, so that one doesn’t affect the other. Lawyers especially young ones still growing in the profession must be watchful about how we conduct ourselves wherever we find ourselves.
It is better to be a gentleman as a lawyer and not be noticed, than to be a tout as a lawyer and be noticed. Godspeed! Do send your comment{s}, observation{s} and recommendation{s} to danielbulusson@gmail.com or like us on www.facebook.com/ younglawyerscolumn