Monday, August 16, 2004

Anonymous Lawyer Please Step Forward

In a post over at Notes from the (Legal) Underground, Evan Schaeffer opines on the author of Anonymous Lawyer (AL) and the veracity (or potential lack thereof) of the posts.

My take on AL is one of interested disinterest. The stories are often interesting and usually compelling. It's rare that I don't read the latest post and either have a visceral reaction (what a @#$%*&!!) or a moment of quiet contemplation about some aspect of the installment. And the disinterest in my take? That comes from my not caring whether this tale is true or not. It doesn't matter. In this case, actually knowing could possibly ruin the allure and social commentary. If it's real, it's almost unbelievable. If it's not, you know that somewhere, in some law firm, some partner is acting out a piece of the post. Either way, what AL says in his posts is far less important than what he's saying about the profession.

If we (and I include myself even though I am a puny law student) as a profession are producing these environments, complete and replete with the various horrors AL describes, what does that say about us? What makes this any different from a sweat shop, brothel or mafia outpost? (Yes, those are exaggerations but I can think of arguments that illustrate the undesired yet all-too-real similarities between the foregoing and practicing law at "BigLaw.") And that my friends is another reason I'm still holding out hope that one day I don't give in to the pressures and sell out my soul for the chance to work in "BigLaw."