Letter to a New Lawyer

Dear Lag Liv,

Hi. I'm ----, a shinyhappy 1L at ----.

I've been wanting to write to you for some time now and since I am currently not studying, here goes. I've been reading your blog since I started getting acceptance letters and was trying to figure out what I was really getting myself into. I've read the whole thing, and wanted to thank you for your candor and insights into marriage, law and motherhood. Hopefully my husband and I will welcome our first child some time next year and I will be the one to go to school/work and he will be the house parent. I, like yourself, love challenging and rewarding work and will be a studying/working mom and wouldn't have it any other way. But, I'm also scared- afraid that I will miss my child and have some major regrets.

So thanks for articulating your fears and your personal debates. I really can't tell you how much your blog has done for my courage. It's easier for me to push my doubts aside when I see that you (and a New Duck and Magic Cookie, et aliae) have done what I will do -- balance law school, baby, good job and a happy marriage. It seems that you've achieved this through hard work, rigorous self reflection and an exploration of doubts and fears rather than by breezing through on the blithe ignorance implicit in the "I can have it all" 'feminist'(whatever that is) motto.

Thanks for being honest, emotional and a Democrat (very important for moms issues I think) and sharing it on your blog.

I (maybe mistakenly) turned down a very generous scholarship to UT in favor of ---- (I'm a Cali girl by birth), but am very seriously considering settling in Austin after school since my aunt, uncle and sister-in-law will all be there. I'd appreciate any advice on which corporate law firms you found were family friendly down there.

You can find my ramblings here http://lalawlion.blogspot.com/ .

All the best to you, JP and Landon,