As soon as I tell people that I am a lawyer, people inform me that they are fans of the show Suits. One of the main characters in the show, Harvey Specter, embodies the attributes of a dream lawyer: methodical, creative, tenacious, strategic, firm, and, most noticeably, cool, calm and collected. The viewer often sees Mr. Specter save the day at the eleventh hour with a scheme or a diabolical plan that works almost all of the time.
If you ask any of your lawyer acquaintances, they will readily confirm that Mr. Specter’s wild and constant success has not been their reality. More often than not, we lawyers have faced, and continue to face, the big, bad “R” word. Rejection.
When asked about what skill I gained since embarking on the journey to become a lawyer, my answer is “I learned how to become resilient in the face of what used to be soul-crushing rejection." What no one tells you about law—and what Hollywood does not reveal—is that both the journey to becoming a lawyer and the practice of law is riddled with enough rejection to shatter the confidence of the strongest of individuals. Add to the mix a profession that tends to attract individuals who have grown accustomed to being praised their entire lives for their intelligence and achievements and you will begin to picture just how painful rejection may be.
The truth of the matter is that current and aspiring lawyers can expect to experience rejection whether it comes from schools, internships, volunteer opportunities, articling positions, work assignments, or dream jobs. Clients that we have worked hard to win may leave us, judges may dismiss our most creative arguments in open court before our colleagues and classmates, opposing counsel may discount our negotiation attempts, our partnership applications may be declined for being too ambitious or hasty, our dream job may go to another candidate, or we may lose a case. The list goes on. Rejection can be clothed in many different costumes.
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