Another great post from Melissa (aka Opinionista) about the fallout from her revealing herself and the response she has received from the legal community. That response has been both absurd and completely predictable. In a nutshell, lawyers from across the nation have derided the law school she attended, the college she attended, the firm she worked for, and her personally. They haven't done this because they dislike her writing. No, they do this because they are shallow and self-loathing, and deeply resent her for attacking the sacred cow that is big firm life. Or, as Melissa characterized it, "If you spend life being ultimately concerned with things that are not worthwhile, you’ll end up in a state called 'existential disappointment'.”
I don't think I've seen a better phrase to describe (many) attorneys than that. I never understood why people care about rankings so much. I never understood why the highest paying job was therefore the best. I could never make myself actually care about the stuff I was learning in my classes, nor could I ever trick myself into thinking that I actually wanted to practice law for a living. In fact, I knew very early on that law school wasn't the place for me. Why didn't I quit? I don't know, but by now, it's too late not to finish. But I am not going to make the same mistake twice: I'm not taking the bar, and I don't ever intend to practice law. I don't know exactly what I am going to do, but I do know that I'll be happier than I would be otherwise.
