(ThyBlackMan.com) I have some friends who work at the brilliant Kersh law firm and unlike many people I get to see these lawyers away from their job, and because of this I have gained a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the great work that they do. Most of us think of lawyers as high powered men and women who win over a courtroom with their charm and their persuasive abilities but what most of us don’t see is what goes on once the job is over and they go back to their own lives. There is a human side to being a lawyer which we should all understand, and here are the bits that you can’t see.
Sacrifice
Because the role of being a lawyer is so demanding, they very often have to cancel events, parties, evenings out and many other engagements which they just cannot make because of their job. It is fine when you cancel on a friend, we’ll always be around to reschedule, but when you have to repeatedly disappoint your wife, partner or kids, things are much more serious. I won’t go into details but I have friends who have actually ended up getting a divorce because of the conflict between their career and their personal life, something which many aren’t aware of.
Pain and Emotion
We often think of lawyers in the same way that we think about doctors, that they are these robotic beings who have thick skin and won’t allow emotion to cloud their judgement. In the workplace this may certainly be the case but what we don’t see are those moments at home when the emotions of the day or the case starts to get on top. Lawyers are often exposed to some truly gruesome details about the cases that they are working on, which eventually takes its toll. On top of this a lawyer must deal with the weight of the burden which comes about by virtue of the fact that people’s liberty are in there hands. A friend of mine lost a case which saw a rapist freed because of a technicality, that night he was almost inconsolable as he knew that this man was wandering the streets and he felt that he could have done more to prevent it.
Stress
If the emotion doesn’t get on top of a lawyer then the stress will, these men and women work in highly pressurized environments where a mistake on their part could result in justice not being done. The weight of this pressure is difficult to bear and this is why so many lawyers work hard on finding ways to alleviate this stress and relax, which isn’t always easy. These men and women may work in teams but that doesn’t stop the levels of pressure which they can often feel.
It is for these reasons why I have so much respect for what lawyers do, it is easy to forget that they are just like you and I.
Staff Writer; Bobby James
