Is being a lawyer worth it? I wish I had a nickel for every time I have asked myself that question during the last 13 years. I still don't have a definitive answer.

Certainly, there are things about being a lawyer that are very appealing. It is a "professional" job. People pay you for your advice and you often get to analyze complicated and/or interesting situations. You get to dress up in a nice suit most days and often work in pleasant surroundings. If you are lucky, your co-workers are bright and can debate a wide range of topics, from politics to celebrities' love lives. You get the thrill of winning when a case is decided in your favor. You learn how to work hard, move up the ladder and then work even harder to maintain your gain. If you are successful and somewhat fortunate, you can earn a decent living, sometimes even a really good one. Depending on the type of law that you practice, you may even get a chance to right some wrongs during the course of your career. Even if you don't end up as a champion of great causes, you have the opportunity to help people purchase a home, adopt a child, or set up a business. All of these things can be very satisfactory.

Then there are the negatives. The work hours are long, and there are never enough of them in a day. If there's a deadline and it's your matter you can kiss your dinner plans/parent teacher conference/daughter's dance recital, goodbye. The law is, as they say, "a jealous mistress". You are forever beholden to your client's wishes and demands, as they are the ones that pay your salary. You become adept at speaking to clients whether you are at your desk, in your kitchen, or on the soccer field. The advent of e-mail and personal communication devices have only increased the ways in which you can be contacted. Add to this the fact that you are often required to digest and interpret tremendous amounts of information, keep track of all relevant deadlines, note all of the details and generate work that is as free from error as humanly possible. Suffice it to say that the pressure is tremendous and often difficult to cope with. Couple this with a spouse, one or more children, school schedules, extra-curricular activities and basic life requirements, such as food shopping, laundry and cleaning, and at times, it can seem overwhelming. Still, despite all of this, I haven't come up with an alternate career.

I know several women who have run from the practice of law and several who work on a part-time basis. By and large, there aren't a lot of opportunities for part-timers and you have to be able to take the hit, financially. Having done both, I'm still not sure which is better. It's the time v. money conundrum and everyone needs more of both.

After all this musing, I still haven't come to a conclusion. Like most jobs, there are things I like and things I don't. I'm still proud to have graduated from law school and passed the bar exam and those are things that no one can take away from me. It's hard to imagine ever leaving the practice of law, but then again, never say never.

Learn more about this author, Denise Doty.
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