Like the name of this site suggests, you can either fall into a life in law, or rise into it. For me, I fell into it. I had to learn how to rise into it only after I had been a lawyer for several years. My goal with this site is to help those considering pursuing a life in law from falling into it and if they’re already in it, to help them rise.

When I first thought about going to law school, I really had almost no idea what that meant for my future. I knew I wrote well, excelled in school, had an affinity for philosophy and logic, and thought that all added up to me being a good fit for going to law school and becoming a lawyer.

I did it. I took the LSAT, applied to the law school I wanted to attend, got accepted, spent three years learning how to “think like a lawyer”, studied for and took one of the hardest bar exams in the country, passed on my first attempt, and entered the life I had worked so hard to achieve.

Then the reality of being a lawyer came down on me like a hammer. I found a high-paying job doing insurance defense, making more money than any of my high school friends. I had a high level of prestige and respect when people asked me what I did for a living. I had achieved what I set out to accomplish. I should have been thrilled and extremely happy with life, right?

Well, by the end of my first year, the words “thrilled” and “happy” were the polar opposite of what I felt waking up each morning before going to work. I was absolutely miserable in a way I had never been before. I lasted a little longer than a year before I left the firm, knowing that if I didn’t do so, I would lose my sanity.

Eventually, things got better, much better in fact. It has been a long journey, and I hope to tell you all much more about it. But for now, I intend to give anyone thinking about a life in law an open and honest look at the differences between common beliefs and misconceptions about being a lawyer and the reality of actually practicing and living life in the law. I hope you, or someone you know, can find some use in the tales told here and the advice given. Thanks.