Decisions, Decisions

Apologies for not posting new chapters last week! I had some unexpected things come up. First I had to travel for work, so I was busy night and day. Then when I returned, my husband and I started talking about the future and whether we want to stay in L.A. for the next three years or start a simpler life now. It would mean giving up more money in the long-term, but it might be worth it to us.

How do you go about making big life decisions? Any advice?

I'll post new chapters Wednesday and Thursday.

Thanks for reading!!

Pulling a Geographic

There’s a term that people in AA use called “pulling a geographic,” which describes the process of moving to a new place looking to escape one’s problems. It’s criticized by some because, as the saying goes, “wherever you go, there you are.”

But sometimes, pulling a geographic can be just the ticket.

Take Daniel Bailey, a 2010 law school graduate who knew early on

“Thank You, Sir, May I Have Another?” (Or, An Open Apology to Curves for Women)

I’ve been catching up on my blog email lately and I came across a message from a struggling attorney who enjoys the research and writing aspect of her job, but dreads going to court because of all the anxiety and insecurity it provokes. It got me thinking about my litigation days, and one of the worst courtroom experiences I ever had.

Actually, the courtroom wasn’t the real problem (more on that in a minute); the lead up to the courtroom was.

The exact circumstances are foggy now, since it happened so long ago, but I’ll give you

Four Years of Debt Freedom

Warren, you had one job!

Greetings from La La Land (or is it Moonlight?)! :) I couldn’t resist.

It feels like it’s been forever since I updated my blog! Thank you to everyone who emailed me or left kind words in the comments. It really helped lift my spirits since my last depressing post.

I figured that even though I’m still struggling with life here in the city of angels, I have much to be thankful for. To wit: March 2nd was our fourth anniversary of debt freedom! It’s surreal to think about because so much has happened since then. Here’s a recap of

"Lonely As I Am, Together We Cry"

I haven’t updated my blog in a while because [sigh...] once again, my husband and I have moved.

I wrote a few versions of this post, none of which seemed quite right because they sugarcoated things. To be brutally honest, right now I am just really sad.

To recap: we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area over five years ago and in that time, we managed to create an amazing life. We paid off all of our debt, we bought a house, we had good friends, and we could go to the beach whenever we wanted to.

Then, a few weeks ago, everything changed. My husband got a "great job opportunity" (read: the kiss of death for the unsuspecting spouse) that could pay off financially in a few years. At this point,

Letting Go

A few weeks ago, I was catching up with “Howard” (the colleague I interviewed in episodes 3 and 4 of my podcast) After chatting about what’s new in both of our lives, the conversation inevitably turned to the subject that has bonded the two of us ever since we met at the bus stop on that first day of 1L year: the practice of law.  

We both have strong feelings about it. 

Back in law school, Howard was the smart one

99 Homes and the Law School Bubble: We Got Emotional About JDs

My husband and I recently watched a movie called 99 Homes, starring Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) and Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spiderman). It’s a thriller about the foreclosure crisis that happened just a few short years ago, and when I say thriller…

I mean thriller.

I went in thinking it would be more of a drama – the streaming service we used billed it as a thriller and I thought, “No way, what could be so thrilling about adjustable rate mortgages?” But there is a dread that hangs over every scene and a tension that pulls the viewer along, all the way to an ending that didn’t quite feel right (watch it and you’ll see what I mean).

In it, Michael Shannon plays Rick Carver, a real estate broker who represents banks that have

"So You Think You Can Tell"

What label describes you?

One thing that I still struggle with since leaving the law is the concept of identity. The main reason I went to law school to begin with was I didn’t know myself very well, which meant I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’d always loved writing, but I didn’t think I could ever make money at that, so instead I listened to all the people I heard chattering in my political science and philosophy courses, and the professors who taught them. “Go to law school,” they all said. Or at least that’s what I heard.

During my last year of undergrad, everyone seemed to be taking the LSAT, so

Updates Coming Soon!

I know it's been a long time since I updated my blog, so I wanted to thank my readers - both of you - for reaching out and asking me to continue documenting my post-law journey. I'm in the process of writing some new posts and also bringing back the podcast! I'm just waiting for Amazon to send me a replacement mic since my old one bit the biscuits. I really want to provide quality content so if you have any suggestions or questions you'd like me to answer on the podcast or in a post, please let me know in the comments or via email at recovering.lawyer1@gmail.com.

In the meantime, feel free to revisit some of my favorite old posts:

Something Amazing Just Happened

The Invisible Woman

Talk to you soon...

I'm Still Here

The big picture

Wow, it’s truly depressing seeing my blog comments overrun by spam. Especially such bad spam. How is it possible that sex toys are out and psychics are in? I’ll never understand people.

Anyway, I don’t intend to abandon it. It’s just that my life has taken some interesting turns since we paid off our debt (including my massivelaw school loan). For one thing, we finally saved up enough for a down payment on a house (which means we’re officially on baby steps 4,5, and 6 of the Dave Ramsey plan) and bought one this past summer. Then I started taking some writing courses at night and trying to figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life now that my law career/nightmare is over. I’m still working in a somewhat unchallenging position, but I got a big raise last year so for now it’s working for me. 

One of the most satisfying things that happened in this last year is