Before attending law school, I was warned it would teach me “how to think like a lawyer.” To be honest, I did not really understand what that meant. I assumed that law school was an intense academic experience. I expected to learn how to brief cases and do legal research, I had no idea that “think like a lawyer” meant I would actually be changing my view of the world. I was not prepared for how the law would permeate into every aspect of my life.
It started during law school when I was attending a backyard barbeque thrown by a non-law school friend. I could not escape “thinking like a lawyer.” I walked onto the deck of my friend’s house and immediately cringed at a pool that was not fenced in and the young children jumping on a giant trampoline. All I saw was potential lawsuits. Before law school, I would probably have hopped on the trampoline with the kids! It wasn’t just potential personal injury suits. I started to actually read every piece of mail that came from my credit card and cell phone companies, worried they were trying to trick me with their policies. Before law school most of that mail would have gone straight to the shredder. At a party, my ears would perk up when a friend told me he was having trouble with his marriage. Before law school I would have consoled him. Instead, I began to divide the community property in my head.
Thankfully, these were mostly thoughts I kept to myself and did not share with friends; otherwise, I might have few left today. It took some time and maturity, but I started to be able to turn off what I call the “lawyer gene.” I learned to relax and enjoy life outside the office and outside the practice of law. I quickly learned it would be miserable to spend all day practicing law and keep doing so after leaving the office. I actually had to practice how to turn it off. For me it started with the commute home. I would put on music and zone out of the case I was working on and back into the real world. It was tough, but I learned not to take the law home with me.
Now, I’m a college professor. Students frequently ask me for advice about attending law school. Of course, I warn them that law school is an intense academic experience. But I also tell them that law school will make them “think like a layer”. The stare at me quizzically as I explain to them that law school will change their view of the world. Of course they do not understand this. It is impossible to explain it to someone who has not attended law school. For me, I’m just happy to be able to enjoy a simple barbecue with friends without constantly fretting.