Walking the Stage

Wonderful post over at Grasping For the Wind that features lawyers who have become fantasy and sf writers. While one of the questions seems to be "Should law students run---RUN---from law school or a legal career NOW?!" I cannot help thinking that law school and legal practice helped these lawyers become better writers, and/or that their creativity also makes/made them better lawyers. Consider about Scott Turow, who started as a writer who went to law school, and has continued to craft wonderful novels and David E. Kelley, who was an attorney who left practice to create iconic tv shows and characters.

I believe that everything in life becomes grist for your mill. Luck favors the prepared mind. You never know what of you learn might help you in future. Really. Clichéd as these statements seem, I don't think life is a lab experiment. You cannot run two or three of your lives at the same time (although THAT idea might make a great SF novel) and see what happens. I really do believe that people who don't get as much education as they can regret it later. Unless the idea of finishing law school once you have started it (or finishing anything once you've started it) makes you emotionally and/or physically ill, finish it. Walking across that stage (and passing the bar) shows that you can accomplish a goal, that you have transferable skills and training and that you can earn a living while you are planning your career at something else--say, writing that novel or setting up that mushroom museum. Or becoming a Great Magician.

Comments

[John Ottinger]

Thank you very much for mentioning my post here at your site.

[Jonathan D. Brazell]

I don't know about all that. On the one hand, it's been my experience that only certain "types" do well at school, and there are plenty of bright and talented people who don't realize it because the education system didn't validate this for them. While on the other hand, there are plenty of educated fools in the world. I'd agree that, while schooling and a piece of paper don't always equal an education, and you can have the latter without the former, still, the world could use more "renaissance" men and women. I also understand the one DOES need a piece of paper to do certain things like practice law.