Slave to the Billable Hour

I had lunch with a couple of friends who are also first year associates yesterday. We have a common bond beyond law school, clerkships, and even living in the same city--we are first years. We each walked down our respective blocks to meet for an afternoon of catching up and lamenting about our lives.

As a first year there is a sort of  hazing, but not in the Animal House way. It's more in the you belong to the pledge class of newly pinned associates. You wear the uniform, you know only those with offices around you, you get there first and leave last, and you live in constant fear of  malpractice! (ok so that may be an exageration). But you get my drift, you are on the non man's land of law, you don't know anything, but are expected to know everything!

You speak a language that only another first year understands: document review, drafting discovery, billable hours, and research! Gone are the days of afternoon naps, a jog at 3pm or gasp! staying out past midnight on the weekend! You now look forward to Saturday and Sunday so you can catch up on sleep, or stay in your pj's. You go to bed at 9pm and know what 6am looks like. You have become... boring.

Mid-lunch jump when email dings.... that sound can give you a heart attack! Remember when email was no more than an announcement of free lunch in the auditorium or a sponsored happy hour on Thursday? Not now! Email is the way the know where you are. And the clock! It ticks slowly Monday-Friday and way to fast on the weekend. The clock is constant reminder of how many hours you have or have not billed today! Eeek, do I even have time to pee?!? can I bill for thinking while I am in the bathroom?

As our lunch came to a close, we were glad to have the bond that we share. We enjoyed the chance to lament and share in our situation. We laughed as we all agreed we would never recommend law school to anyone, but then again would any of us change what we are doing now? Would we turn back the clock and make a different career decision? Probably not, because then we would not be the first year associate. So until we lunch again, I am reminded how blessed I am that I have those friends who truly understand me and will never judge me for going to sleep at 8pm on a Friday. ~The Illegal Blonde