Do lawyers dream?

Watching the Academy Awards I couldn’t help but feel that the nominees and winners were some of the biggest dreamers around.

Why not me? Why not grow up to be an actor or actress and make Hollywood movies? That’s quite a stretch for a kid growing up on a farm, on the streets of urban America or in Mexico.

But these guys some how kept the dream alive through a lot of valleys and in the face of a lot of people thinking they were a tad crazy — not the least of which their parents and spouses.

Do kids dream of becoming lawyers? Do lawyers who have not acheived the heights dream of becoming the go-to to lawyer in their niche — locally, statewide and nationally?

I wonder. No question kids dream of becoming lawyers. I did. There’s certainly enough television shows and movies with lawyers to light the dream.

But peroidicals and the Internet are filled with stories about how bad it is to be a lawyer today. From solo to large law firm, I wonder how many dreamers we have.

I penned a few years ago that it’s never been a better time to be a law grad. My point being that with the power of the Internet for networking and building word of mouth law students could lay the foundation for employment while still in school.

Working with students at Michigan State Law School last month I saw nothing but bright eyed optimism. Sure these kids are going to have to fight for everything they get, but they had harnessed blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and more to gain jobs and clerking opportunities.

As a lawyer, why not dream? Why not dream of doing exactly the type of work you want to do for exactly the type of clients who want to work for? Why not work in the type of law firm you want to work in? Maybe your own?

Some one has to do it. Why not you?

When I get on the phone or meet with lawyers new to to blogging, I tell them to get out the magic wand. They think I am more than a little nuts when I ask them what they really want to do and what they are really passionate about.

After all, I warn them, bloggers needed to be careful what they wish for because they may just get it.

I wish we had the academy awards of law bloggers so that other lawyers could see the women and men who have had their dreams come alive through blogging and social media. I call them rockstars.

They are doing the work they are passionate about. They are working in firms of their choosing. They are working with clients they like working with (most of the time). And best of all they are enjoying life and earning enough to support their families.

These lawyers didn’t know if blogging and social media would work for them. I told the doubting lawyers I spoke with to have faith. It’ll take time, but if you stick with you, you’ll find “going after it” via the net to be a life changing event.

Thousands of kids watch athletes in high school gyms and on televsion and dream of becoming of becoming “stars.” Some kids keep the dream alive, most don’t. Some kids perservere and put in the incredibliy hard work it takes to get there, most do not.

Lawyers can dream. I wish more would. After all, someone has to be that “go-to” lawyer doing what they love.

With the Internet there’s probably never been a better time for you as a lawyer to acheive your dreams. Whatever they may be.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Greg Westfall