Lawyer lifestyle By Daniel Bulusson

“Being a lawyer means spending a lot of hours reading, talking
with clients, reviewing paperwork and even more reading”
Lawyerlifestyle

It is funny the perspective the society has about the lifestyle
of a lawyer, to some people, lawyers are boring set of people who
hardly engage in any fun activity, to others, lawyers are serious
minded people constantly with suit and files in hand with no social
life.

To top it all, being a lawyer is placed third in Yahoo’s list of
careers that could ruin a person’s social life behind surgeons and
registered nurses.

Due to the prestige and nobility attached to the legal
profession, the general society {non-lawyers in the instant case}
always scrutinize the personal life of a lawyer, one hears
statements like “Oh you are a lawyer you shouldn’t dress this way
or that way”, “Oh you are a lawyer you shouldn’t be seen in this
kind of place”, “I didn’t know lawyers could wear this kind of
haircut”, at the end of the day, because of the restrictions and
expectation of the public, legal professionals are seen to live a
black and white life.

Majority of the public view lawyers as reserved workaholics who
don’t spend much time with friends and family. The truth is,
lawyers have personal life different from work, though it is
sometimes difficult to separate one from the other, because lawyers
are groomed to be gentlemen at all times in our speech, dress sense
and conduct.

Take social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Linkedin, Snapchat, e.t.c where people visit to socialise, make
friends and share status, yet, what a lawyer is expected to post on
such platform is different from what a lay man would ordinarily
post, meaning lawyers ought to keep personal life private within
circle of friends, family and loved ones.

Sometimes back, a young lawyer posted a picture of him having
fun in a night club which any non-lawyer is permitted to do, but
being a legal practitioner there were opinions and comments by the
public not condemning the fact that he went to club but that he
shouldn’t publish such pictures on social media “you are a lawyer,
people should not see you living this way”.

Lawyers are permitted to have social life but are reserved about
how they live it, this is why lawyers are seen as too formal and
boring, because certain acts lay men do without remorse a lawyer
cannot engage in.

There are two sides to a coin, while the public perceives a
lawyer as proud (someone who feels he knows it all), to the lawyer
being a legal practitioner is no small task, one has to go through
university for a minimum of five (5) to Six (6) years, then law
school before National Youth Service Corp, even after that, the
reading doesn’t end, a lawyer must constantly read and do research
to be on top of his game in legal practice, it is not how smart a
lawyer is that makes him/her successful but the amount of time
dedicated to a job.

There is hardly any interaction a lawyer has with the society
that does not fall under scrutiny from the public, this makes it
difficult to separate personal life from work life, the everyday
life of a lawyer involves attending to clients’ problem whatever
the issue maybe and being ever ready to provide legal
solutions.

It is therefore not true that a lawyer doesn’t have social life;
clientele and popularity are gotten when a legal practitioner
mingles with the society, not just in a serious environment but
also in a not-too-serious atmosphere.

A lawyer however ought to be careful in his/her interaction with
the public, he/she needs to understand and strike a balance between
work and personal life no matter how hard it seems to be, so that
one doesn’t affect the other. Lawyers especially young ones still
growing in the profession must be watchful about how we conduct
ourselves wherever we find ourselves.

It is better to be a gentleman as a lawyer and not be
noticed, than to be a tout as a lawyer and be noticed.
Godspeed!
Do send your comment{s}, observation{s} and recommendation{s} to
danielbulusson@gmail.com or like us on
www.facebook.com/younglawyerscolumn

“Being a lawyer means spending a lot of hours reading, talking
with clients, reviewing paperwork and even more reading”
Lawyerlifestyle

It is funny the perspective the society has about the lifestyle
of a lawyer, to some people, lawyers are boring set of people who
hardly engage in any fun activity, to others, lawyers are serious
minded people constantly with suit and files in hand with no social
life.

To top it all, being a lawyer is placed third in Yahoo’s list of
careers that could ruin a person’s social life behind surgeons and
registered nurses.

Due to the prestige and nobility attached to the legal
profession, the general society {non-lawyers in the instant case}
always scrutinize the personal life of a lawyer, one hears
statements like “Oh you are a lawyer you shouldn’t dress this way
or that way”, “Oh you are a lawyer you shouldn’t be seen in this
kind of place”, “I didn’t know lawyers could wear this kind of
haircut”, at the end of the day, because of the restrictions and
expectation of the public, legal professionals are seen to live a
black and white life.

Majority of the public view lawyers as reserved workaholics who
don’t spend much time with friends and family. The truth is,
lawyers have personal life different from work, though it is
sometimes difficult to separate one from the other, because lawyers
are groomed to be gentlemen at all times in our speech, dress sense
and conduct.

Take social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Linkedin, Snapchat, e.t.c where people visit to socialise, make
friends and share status, yet, what a lawyer is expected to post on
such platform is different from what a lay man would ordinarily
post, meaning lawyers ought to keep personal life private within
circle of friends, family and loved ones.

Sometimes back, a young lawyer posted a picture of him having
fun in a night club which any non-lawyer is permitted to do, but
being a legal practitioner there were opinions and comments by the
public not condemning the fact that he went to club but that he
shouldn’t publish such pictures on social media “you are a lawyer,
people should not see you living this way”.

Lawyers are permitted to have social life but are reserved about
how they live it, this is why lawyers are seen as too formal and
boring, because certain acts lay men do without remorse a lawyer
cannot engage in.

There are two sides to a coin, while the public perceives a
lawyer as proud (someone who feels he knows it all), to the lawyer
being a legal practitioner is no small task, one has to go through
university for a minimum of five (5) to Six (6) years, then law
school before National Youth Service Corp, even after that, the
reading doesn’t end, a lawyer must constantly read and do research
to be on top of his game in legal practice, it is not how smart a
lawyer is that makes him/her successful but the amount of time
dedicated to a job.

There is hardly any interaction a lawyer has with the society
that does not fall under scrutiny from the public, this makes it
difficult to separate personal life from work life, the everyday
life of a lawyer involves attending to clients’ problem whatever
the issue maybe and being ever ready to provide legal
solutions.

It is therefore not true that a lawyer doesn’t have social life;
clientele and popularity are gotten when a legal practitioner
mingles with the society, not just in a serious environment but
also in a not-too-serious atmosphere.

A lawyer however ought to be careful in his/her interaction with
the public, he/she needs to understand and strike a balance between
work and personal life no matter how hard it seems to be, so that
one doesn’t affect the other. Lawyers especially young ones still
growing in the profession must be watchful about how we conduct
ourselves wherever we find ourselves.

It is better to be a gentleman as a lawyer and not be
noticed, than to be a tout as a lawyer and be noticed.
Godspeed!
Do send your comment{s}, observation{s} and recommendation{s} to
danielbulusson@gmail.com or like us on
www.facebook.com/younglawyerscolumn