One of the most exciting things about being a litigator is receiving a new file.
I love pouring through all the documents, jotting down relevant dates and incidents on a timeline and formulating a story in my mind.
Practicing law is like taking a big picture, transforming it into a puzzle, throwing all the puzzle pieces into a box, shaking it up, and putting the picture back together piece by piece. You start with the edges and work your way back in until you have the same big picture again, but now you have an intimate knowledge of every small piece that makes up that picture.
My first job was at a grocery store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I worked there from the age of 15 until I left for college at 18. One of my favorite things to do there was what was called “leveling,” where I went up and down each aisle for hours, pulling all of the products to the front of each row.
The idea was to make each aisle and row look neat and organized. A lot of people hated this assignment, but I loved it.
It allowed me to get familiar with where every product in the store was located and I was happy to help customers find even the most obscure items on their grocery lists.
This love of detail that I had over 15 years ago currently serves me well as an attorney.
What lights you up about the practice of law? What assignments can you look back on in your pre-legal employment that helped prepare you for what you do now?
(Photo credit to Ana who was walking by, saw me looking all intense and said she was going to take a picture for the website. This is proof that this picture was not staged and I was really working. ?) .
