aka the type of self help book I should have probably invested in a couple months ago.
As of Friday afternoon I will be officially done with law school which is simultaneously liberating and terrifying. I'll still have the February bar to darken my days and haunt my nights but it's still the end of an era. Like most of the aspects of adulthood, I sort of assumed things would just fall into place by now but instead things took a left turn into what can only be described as a swirling vortex of uncertainty, optimism, terror, and pure unadulterated panic. The original vision had me plugging along at an established firm but life and health forced me to reevaluate that plan. Eric is currently building his own practice and while it's not completely off the ground yet it's slowly becoming a viable business. Right now he's working out of the house primarily which I love but sadly I think those days are numbered as the hunt for the right office space continues. However, it would be great if things worked out so he could split space with some other attorneys and maybe share the cost of support staff so I suppose I can't complain about it. It does leave some questions as to where I'll fit in but we'll figure that out when the time comes. I might just end up being less "front facing" and take over the home office mostly.
Going into business for yourself is scary. I could never imagine myself going without the security of a salary but in a saturated legal market sometimes you just have to make your own job. It's entirely possible that one or both of us will end up in a firm after we get a little practical experience but I have high hopes that our little firm will make it. There's certainly the potential for a good income if some possibilities pan out to keep the overhead levels down. On the flip side, there's also the potential for catastrophic failure. I'm still contemplating the possibility of a side job but I'm not sure what kind yet.
Probably the best benefit we're seeing so far though is the chance to really explore what you want to do. It's easy in law school to say "Oh, estate planning is totally my jam" but it's another to sit in front of a box of documents and play untangle the mess. We've heard from so many lawyers that you just have to find your niche and with that stories of people who worked for decades before finding that one thing. As a solo/micro firm we have the ability to dabble and the initial need to take everything and anything we feel reasonably competent to take on. It will probably be awhile before either of us finds our niche but it's reassuring to know I'm not going to be stuck working on whatever someone else tells me too or inadvertently signing up with a firm that would never take a case in my yet to be discovered niche.
Even more than my nascent career path though, I worry about my personal self. Law school has been the most challenging experience of my life and I feel like I lost some of myself in the process. I need to rediscover my hobbies and find out where I fit in here in Omaha. I got a lot more into video games but that's not exactly particularly social and productive. I'm exciting to get back into homebrewing but I'm more the creative director than the brewer. I'm hoping when I'm less stressed I can finally enjoy my sewing machine and makeup again. Free time finds me at a loss these days. I need a social life and I've completely forgotten how to make small talk with anyone outside of law school. I'll be spending the next couple months brainstorming ways to get out there and become a more well rounded person. This kind of stuff should really come with a manual.
