Can lawyers come alive?

wds 2014 1632Well. I’m stumped.  I am not sure what this lovely lady I met on my flight home from World Domination Summit meant by “Lawyers Come Alive”. As we had both just attended a wonderful event promoting positive change in the world, I assume she would like to see lawyers be more “real” and more active.

Lawyers are often the butt of bad jokes. There is a preconceived notion that lawyers are stuffy, possibly snotty and overall unfriendly. I can tell you with certainty (and over 10 years in legal field)that it is not true. Well not all of them anyways.

Lawyers are just like you and me. Many of them have passions beyond the law and work to make their community a better place by being part of their community or participating in service-based clubs such as Rotary.

Another interesting fact is that lawyers come from a wide range of backgrounds and possess a wealth of knowledge. Undergraduate degrees may include Sports Medicine, Music, Teaching, English, Drama, Marketing and so on. Many lawyers have also worked other professions before law school such as teaching or accounting. What did your lawyer study? The gentleman I worked with for over 7 years was a high school teacher and journalist before going to law school.

Many lawyers become involved in their community and participate in governance or community groups including service groups such as Rotary. They give back to their community through donations and through actions.  Some become involved in the political field as well.

Other lawyers leave the field of law to use their skills in other ventures. One former lawyer, Julia Deans, is CEO of Futurpreneur, an organization helping young entrepreneurs across Canada. Another former lawyer, Chris Assaad, left the legal field to pursue a career as a musician. And a good friend of mine, Rose Adams, (still practicing) has started speaking to groups across North America to help others know that everyone can follow their dream if they just take action.

We need to see more of this. We need to HEAR more of this. The stereotype of lawyers needs to change. They are humans – just like you and me.

It’s time to celebrate all the great things lawyers do and make lawyers come alive!

 

 

Scroll to Top