LawSchoolDreamer Makes Duplicate Blog on Wordpress

For my readers who prefer to use wordpress, A Paralegal’s Journey to Lawyerhood is now available on wordpress at:
http://mylawschooldreams.wordpress.com/

It will contain the exact same information and posts as the blogger.com blog (http://mylawschooldreams.blogspot.com/)

Thanks for your continued support!

Professional Appearances are of Paramount Importance

The attorney profession is unique in that a client or patron of an attorney does not necessarily receive a good or item in exchange for their payment, or leave the office with something physical to hold in their hands. What a client does leave with, however, is the sound legal advice of a competent attorney, certified by that state’s bar association that they are capable of handling legal issues. The legal profession is a service industry. What the client is paying for is the attorney’s knowledge. Rather, the attorney’s main selling point is knowledge. How does one sell knowledge? Or how does one advertise that they have knowledge? In today’s discriminatory world, knowledge is often conveyed by one’s professional appearance. Like it or not, all of us, regardless of age, race, sex, or geographical placement are judged by one thing in about 2 seconds: our appearance. One may not be able to change one’s DNA or genetics, but one can certainly make sure that one does everything they can to ensure a professional image.
One of the easiest things to change with regard to one’s appearance is their hairstyle. Men have it easy. There isn’t much to do to style a man’s hair. 10 minutes tops is all is needed. But the foundation of the style is the haircut. Long hair has never been accepted in any professional setting, nor is a short buzz cut considered business-like. There must be a happy medium. Below are two examples. Clearly one has a professional (yet edgy, trendy) hairstyle, and the other . . . well I’m not sure what to call it.

Which would you trust with your legal matters?

Birthdays: A Time to Set Goals and Reevaluate

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a monumental one - a turning point where I realized there is no turning back (not that I have the option). Two years ago before I decided to attend college, I felt that I had accomplished everything I cared to accomplish. In fact, I felt ahead of the pack, I enjoyed bragging and impressing others with all I had accomplished at such a young age. I felt secure with the things I had conquered and where I stood in society.

Sadly, I no longer feel that way. While my employment status has not changed (in fact I now hold a higher position than I did prior to enrolling in college classes), my ownership of essential property hasn’t changed, and my marital status hasn’t changed, my GOALS have changed. Its not that I am any less of a person than I was two years ago, in fact I would say I am a better person now. At the time I felt as though I conquered everything I wish to conquer I really did not have any goals (after all, I had conquered everything!) But now I have both short term goals and long term goals and I couldn’t help but feel that I was behind on accomplishing my goals. Most people at my age had already accomplished the goals I had set for myself.

I spent most of the day thinking about how I had gotten so behind, and how everyone my age seemed so far ahead. I thought about the new associate my firm is interviewing and realize it is very likely that he is younger than me. Now that my goal is to not only finish my bachelor’s degree but to complete a 3-year J.D. program, I feel I have a long way to go.

Today, the day after my birthday, I decided that I must swipe this negative thinking from my mindset. Instead, I focused on the things that I have accomplished and the reasons why for me, accomplishing my collegiate goals later in life is more ideal. I find that I am much more responsible than traditional undergraduate students, I take it very seriously. I also find that I have mastered the skill of time management (between working full time and school full time this is necessary for success). I also realized that I APPRECIATE college and higher education so much more than a lot of traditional students.


My doggie bag that I would like others to take from this post is that instead of being down on ourselves about not having accomplished our goals, we should first look at the things we have accomplished, and then list the reasons why it is actually BETTER that we are accomplishing our goals perhaps slightly later in life than others. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And who are we to scorn ourselves for not being on a particular track or checklist. If we get behind, big deal. What matters is that we DO accomplish our goals, whatever those goals might be, and that it is okay if those goals change overtime.