The Laws of Life

My middle-aged neighbour at work is migrating to Melbourne next year. He intends to re-start his legal career there. My buddy wants to move away from litigation practice to be a legal counsel in a corporation.

I wonder how many other lawyers in Singapore are at similar crossroads? How many will not renew their practising certificates next year? Is it tough being a lawyer in Singapore? This year gave me a good opportunity to examine the mindset of the profession, myself included.

‘I am tired. Work is bad.’

This is our most familiar refrain. Most of us bemoan about our work all the time — anything and everything about it — the long hours, the unreasonable clients, the difficult bosses, impossible deadlines and the high billing targets. Guess what? All these are not going to change. They are part and parcel of this profession. In fact, it will become even harder to practise law in Singapore as we become a 24/7 society. We will always continue to be busy and have little time to do many other things.

However, every one of us has a choice — to be or not to be a lawyer.

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. — Aristotle

Being a lawyer is not a job — it is a vocation. It requires love for the law, commitment and care for the client. One crucial quality of being a lawyer is to enjoy, or even better, to love being with people, being empathetic to their feelings, needs and finding solutions to their problems. We must be inspired to continue being lawyers and attend to all our clients’ demands, even the most unreasonable ones. These qualities help us to enjoy working long hours, over weekends and during vacation. Any lesser qualities would create unhappiness, stress and frustration in our lives.

But some of us may still see the profession as a money-making machine that only provides for a comfortable lifestyle.

A friend said, ‘I have to remain in the job because I cannot take a pay cut and compromise on my high-living lifestyle.’

Are we victims of our jobs?

Another friend said, ‘I am a lawyer because I don’t know what else to do.’

We have many career choices and options in Singapore.

‘I have no choice. I have financial obligations to meet,’ another  said.

We all have choices. We are the result of the choices we make every moment of our lives. If law is our chosen profession, we should accept this decision and make the most of it. After all, many of us put in many hours each day into our jobs. Don’t we deserve to be happy doing it?

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. — James Baldwin

If for some reason you have lost the passion for law, then make the bold decision to move on. Lessons can be learnt from lawyers who have left the legal profession. They discovered that they did not enjoy the rigours of the legal profession. They were hungry for happiness in their lives. There was more to life than a law career for them. They chose to embark on an entirely different career or pursued a passion close to their heart. To them, a career is more than a money-making exercise. They dared to be different. They stood up and took risks. They live life according to their wishes and strive to be happy every day. Their journeys are filled with uncertainties and challenges. They understand their priorities — self, health, family, loved ones and friends — and stand by them firmly. They appreciate that having less is often more and better sometimes.

Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Change can be created in our lives as lawyers too. I believe in taking stock of life frequently. Questions I ask myself are:

1    Why do I want to remain a lawyer?

2    Does being a lawyer make me happy?

3    If not, why?

4    What is my mission in life?

5    What are my goals?

6    What activities will give meaning and purpose to my life?

7    What makes me happy?

Work in a smaller firm. Dictate your working hours. Work flexi. Telecommute. Take regular sabbatical breaks. Start your own law practice. Find and enjoy your own interests and passions outside work. Look for innovative ways to make each day fun and meaningful. It is possible and can be done. Ignore the negative comments of the dream stealers around you. You know what they are — well meaning but not serving your ends. It is all up to you. Being a lawyer and having a life are both possible.

2005 is the time to be truthful to ourselves. Cast aside the infamous excuses and futile actions. Let’s take effective actions. Let’s make a commitment to create what we want for ourselves.

Let us make our individual choices.

Rajan Chettiar

Rajan Chettiar & Co

E-mail: rajanchettiar@pacific.net.sg