The Joy of Teaching (Part II)

This is why I love teaching and consulting people on how to open their own law practice right out of law school:  (E-mail dated February 13, 2007 - Reprinted with permission.)

"I'm so sorry but I'm not going to make it to class tonight.  Believe me, if there's any class I don't want to miss it's this one.  (I am so not just saying this.)  I'm a 3L, in my last semester, and the only courses that make sense for me to be taking this semester are my externship and your class because they are both geared towards my very near future.  It seems like such a waste of time to take the other courses that I have at this point given the looming Bar exam and the need to prepare myself for gainful employment.

May I take a moment here to gush on about things?  I never dreamed of setting up my own business but already after only a month or so of this class, I know that I am going to do anything possible to find a niche aviation law practice for myself.  I do not want to work as an "associate" anywhere and do the big partner's (or senior associate's) crap work (partly because I'm over 40 and I feel as though I don't really have that much time to put in all those required years of crap work only to find out I don't make "partner" anyway!  Those snobs!)  Just by listening to your lectures and reading the textbook, plus all of the other materials out there on the internet to help people like me (including yours), I actually feel confident that this is all possible.

You cannot imagine how thankful I am that I took your class - I had no idea that it would be about setting up my own practice.  I thought it would be about managing a law office and nothing more!  You have given me hope.  You may have given me a whole new life.  No joke!  I'm sure I will tell you again and again, before and after the course is over, how grateful I am that I took it."

My response:

"And thank you for this wonderful e-mail.  It's not gushing, it's heartfelt and very much appreciated.  This class is a labor or love and hopefully inspirational in a profession where the thought of hanging a shingle out of law school has the same shock/insanity factor as someone running naked through a court room.

So, thank you."