Man, I just read this article: Can You Really Afford To Bash The ‘Millenial Lawyer’? by Susan Cartier Liebel.  This is where I’m at!  Although I do not work for a large firm, I feel a huge entrepreneurial drive to do more and live the lifestyle that I want.  I don’t want to work 80 hours per week.  I don’t want to spend all of my time at the office or in the court room.  Actually, I want to spend as little time as possible in the court room.

In my last post “No More Mondays“, I talked a little about chasing your dreams and designing your lifestyle before deciding what you are going to do to create it.

I agree with Susan (not because I am a “millenial” in the workplace, but because I have some strong feelings about controlling my own destiny.  That was the reason I went to law school.  I wanted to be able to provide a service that people need and that allows me to get out on my own and take care of my family without some CEO or some board of directors deciding it’s time for their pockets to get a little fatter and the employees can take a ride.

I haven’t heard this so much from other lawyers at big firms around here - there is always the subtle arrogance that seeps through, but I think there is also some jealously as well from both directions.  I would love to have the guaranteed income, the bonuses, the fancy office, and the health and retirement benefits paid by the firm.  I’m sure they would like to have the time freedom, the ability to take any case you want, the opportunity to work from a home office if they want and the ability to be their own boss and not worry about explaining something to the shareholders.  I think lawyers and law firms aren’t necessarily competing.  They should work together for the greater calling.