When you chose the career of a lawyer, you knew that the job came with plenty of perks. People respect lawyers. The paychecks are high. And for some, being a lawyer allows them to make a difference in the lives of people that they care about, as well as making a difference in the way that things are done in Washington.
Somewhere along the way, we all tend to forget what caused us to become lawyers. It’s a normal occurrence to see lawyers forget about what their goals originally were in the chase for a bigger paycheck. Being a lawyer does come with a giant paycheck. It’s understandable why many lawyers want to get even more cash by “chasing ambulances” in order to find new clients.
A little bit of customer chasing can definitely be a good thing for any new lawyer. Getting more cases, or getting high profile cases, can boost any career to a higher ground. To a point, getting more cases is a must for any new or veteran lawyer. However, getting more cases and more clients should never come in the way of your goals. The minute that you sacrifice the goals and dreams that you originally entered the world of law is the minute that you will begin to regret becoming a lawyer.
People begin law with the hope that they will become someone that they can be proud of being. These dreams can be anything from being the best criminal defense lawyer in New York City to being the Attorney General. Every case that you take can either bring you closer to your goal, or pull you away from it.
Young lawyers who begin to load up on cases that are solely concerned with paychecks will soon discover that their ability to win the case is slightly sacrificed. There are reasons for this. A lawyer who is more concerned about getting paid than attaining a goal that will bring them closer to a dream won’t approach the case with as much passion. The focus that is supposed to be strong will be lax, and the time spent on a case will not be time well-spent.
This isn’t the worst outcome that can happen when you chase money instead of dreams. People who don’t keep their ultimate goals in mind are at a much higher risk of burning out. Once you burn out, you will be completely incapable of working as a lawyer. Burning out can also cause depression, anxiety, and even anger problems.
The good news is that you can still chase money and chase your dreams at the same time. The only thing to remember is that you need to choose the cases that bring you closer to your goal of being the best lawyer in your area. These cases might not be the most high-paid out there. Some of them might appear intimidating, or simply not worth the effort at first sight. However, every case is a different story, with different rewards.
As a lawyer, you also owe it to yourself to stick to your own principles. If you are offered a well-paid case that goes against your principles and your sense of morality, do you really think that taking that case would be a good idea? In the future, when people review your cases, are you okay with having people see that you fought for the morally objectionable side? For longterm goals, this may actually set you back considerably. Consider the following example. Imagine being asked to take the case of a cigarette company that needs defense for another lawsuit involving deaths of secondhand smokers. If your dream is to be a lawyer for the CDC, or a hospital, do you think that this would be a wise idea?
The bottom line is that you can’t sacrifice your morals and your dreams in exchange for a paycheck and get good results. However, you can still chase new clientele and cases while getting your ultimate goals as a lawyer accomplished. As with everything in life, using common sense is key.
