lawyer independence
Becoming a solo practitioner was a natural progression for me. I’d grown up in a family that valued solo work and it seemed part of my destiny. When I opened my own firm, I relished the independence it afforded me. But, I quickly learned that, to maintain that independence, I needed to cultivate a network of business mentors and associates to help me along my path. Thus was born my understanding that, in the world of solo law practice, our independence requires connection to, and camaraderie with, others.
With the July 4th holiday upon us here in the U.S., many of us find ourselves contemplating what being independent really means, both on a national and personal scale. Weighing in on this front is a New York Times article by Henry Fountain titled The Lonely American Just Got a Bit Lonelier. It cites new findings that Americans are now “lacking in people to tell their deepest, darkest secrets. They've hunkered down even more, their inner circle often contracting until it includes only family, only a spouse or, at worst, no one.” We’re depriving ourselves of varied deep and significant interpersonal relationships. According to the piece, this relationship atrophy is attributable, in part, to extended work hours and longer commutes.
As I’ve previously discussed, lawyers I talk to frequently share how lonely and isolated they feel. This lawyer loneliness is a major force behind attrition in the legal profession. It’s a pervasive condition that merits open conversation and concerted remedial efforts among law firms, practitioners and professional groups.
So, especially on this important day, I'm thankful for my network of family members, friends, business associates and fellow bloggers who help me stay allied and rooted in my independence.
Arnie, I think the ideal of personal independence has always been a myth. Fact is (and I think you hit on this here) that we need interdependence. While Stephen Covey based much of his 7 habits on the notion of interdependence, it's an old wisdom that forms the ecology of human relationships.
While I don't always express it or live it adequately, I need the people in my life in the same ways you mention in your last sentence. For me, to be independent is to continue in the lie that I can do anything alone. And as I make my way to a new life in Austin, TX...well, let's just say that I'm appreciating my own interdependence now more than ever. Be well.