The Waiting Room

Obviously, I quit working at Big Law Firm. There was no way I was going back to that environment. I took the next six months off. I went to therapy, slept, played with my dog, and tried to get my life back. And plot my next move.

I was not ready to just give up. I am one of those insanely driven people. I always feel like I have to prove to the world that it wasn’t a mistake that I made it this far. It was clear that I had bad luck with working for people. So, I thought, why not work for myself. I could control what cases I would take. I could set my own hours. And the only person I would have to answer to was me.

With $3,000.00 of my own money. I hung up my own shingle. I started working out of my house with only a computer, fax and a phone. Business took off like a rocket. I was a general practitioner, focusing on female clients. I learned early on the many women feel more comfortable talking to female attorney. Of course I accepted male clients, but many of my clients seemed to be women. Within six months, I was able to move out of the house and into a small office space that had office support. It was a good thing too, because it is hard to separate working from home with having a private life at home. I broke even the first year.

I ran my own practice for three years. There were good days. Like the father I represented who was desperately trying to obtain custody of his children because mom wanted to spend time with her crack head boyfriend. She left the kids home with him one day and he in turn, left the kids home alone to buy crack. In my state, it is very difficult for a father to gain full custody. I was able to win at trial. He and his new wife sent me a Christmas card thanking me for making his family complete. Those were the cases that made practicing law worthwhile.

It was not all glamorous. I was the secretary, bookkeeper, accountant, file manager, and attorney. Although doing this helped keep costs low, it was very taxing. Then there were some memorable clients. There was the guy who threatened to kill me because he did not receive his Worker’s Compensation settlement. My husband had a little “conversation” with him. There was the ex-husband of a client of mine who left harassing voice mails. Husband and Process Server (a personal friend who resembles Tony Soprano) paid him a visit. And of course the numerous clients who complained, whined, and groaned because their case was taking too long. Not because of any malfeasance on my part, but because either the system or some unforeseen circumstance caused the delay.

During this time, I was grouchy, tired, and worn out. The RA was not stabling, so I was sick most of the time. I was often depressed and not feeling very human. My doctors were constantly on my case about the effects of all the stress on my health. Plus, all the stress was taking a toll on my marriage. Husband was constantly worried that I would have another breakdown. We argued constantly about how all of the stress was affecting me and our marriage. He wanted his wife back. But I was not willing to admit that things were so bad. Plus, I did not want to give up something that I had worked so hard to attain. What the hell was I going to do if I was not a lawyer?

But deep down, I know that I was not in love with the law anymore. At least not in the traditional sense. While I loved the concepts, I did not enjoy the practice anymore. It was a constant battle of how would I survive another day.

About two years ago, I was having lunch with a friend from law school. She had mentioned that her husband, who graduated a year prior to us, was asked to teach a Survey of Law class at a local college. He could not do it because of his work schedule. I was intrigued. It was like someone shied a light for me. I told her that I have a teaching degree and maybe this would be a nice distraction for me. She gave me the information and I sent out my resume that same day. The next morning I got a call for an interview. I was hired on the spot.

What happened was amazing. I feel in love with teaching again.

OK, tomorrow I will wrap this up.