If you undertake a career in law, I hope you will realize that although it will never be worry-free or perfect, it is a field that provides much. There are outlets for the entrepreneur to create a new practice area, a new firm or a new technology. Everyday in every city lawyers help someone attain the dream of starting a new business or end the nightmare of harassment. Lawyers volunteer their skills, and more negotiable largesse, to charitable causes. They help grammar schoolers with homework, coach high school moot court teams, aid artists in protecting their creations.
Lawyers are generous with their time and their funds.
They join with other civic-minded citizens, officials and enterprises to bring a national convention to town or propose legislation in state houses. They raise money, raise issues, raise children and raise society s collective conscience. They run businesses, serve on school boards, banter with witty colleagues, grit their teeth during negotiations, ponder imponderables and enjoy the victory of a jury s verdict. If you decide to study and practice law, I do hope you ll recognize from the start that it won t be particularly easy or a barrel of unrelenting laughs. Since I have some advance sheets to read, I ll leave that for the topic of Dad s letter.