austinbar.org DEC. 2022/JAN. 2023 | VOLUME 31, NUMBER 10
The Top 10 Things They Didn’t Teach Me in Law School BY RON SATIJA
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ontracts and tax law, whether there was such a thing as “substantive due process,” or whether tax policy properly reflected the goals we expressed as a body politic. I didn’t take any litigation or drafting classes. I had to learn these lessons every day at work, often painfully at first. I’ve heard that law school has improved on these issues since I graduated, but I would not trade the many lessons I didn’t learn in law school. I am one of the younger members of the “Still Lovin’ It” section. Some previous contributors have been practicing over 50 years, while I’m only at 20. But I am old enough to be thrilled that I am still lovin’ law practice, and I am young enough to remember law school pretty well. I’ve spent the last 20 years thinking about how law practice is not what I
expected and how it has changed me for the better. Here are the top 10 things they didn’t teach me in law school: 10. LAW SCHOOL DID NOT TEACH ME HOW TO MANAGE STRESS.
The practice of law is nothing if not pressure packed. This is particularly true in bankruptcy, practiced with its insanely shortened deadlines, constant expedited matters, and scrutiny from all the parties who appear in each case. How you learn to stay calm and centered without turning to drink or drugs, and how you keep anxiety and depression at bay, are absolutely the most crucial things all lawyers need to learn. My approach is to work out and do yoga several times a week and eat healthy foods that keep my energy level high.
The practice of law is nothing if not pressure packed. Learning to stay calm and centered and how to keep anxiety and depression at bay are crucial things all lawyers need to learn.
LAW SCHOOL DID NOT TEACH ME: 10. HOW TO MANAGE STRESS 9. HOW TO HAVE WORK/LIFE BALANCE 8. HOW TO MANAGE PRIORITIES 7. THAT THERE IS NO SINGLE PATHWAY TO SUCCESS 6. HOW TO GET BUSINESS 5. HOW MUCH CREATIVITY THERE IS IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW 4. HOW TO RESOLVE CONFLICT 3. HOW TO MANAGE THE BUSINESS OF LAW 2. HOW TO TAKE LAW SCHOOL EXAMS 1. HOW TO PRACTICE LAW!
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