I got a kick out of this story on lawyer frustration and how to strive to be "above average." Apparently, lawyers are part of an "unintended byproduct of a profession that confines its lawyers to prisons of bureaucracy, internal politics, dysfunctional interpersonal relationships, inefficient systems and ineffective leadership. It is heartbreaking to see people who expect so much from themselves and others toiling in environments that perpetuate underachievement."
I'm lucky. Even when I was in a big firm I didn't have too much of that, and now I am free to be as good as I want to be. David Freeman makes some excellent points, the best of which is to Demand a maniacal focus on the client. I've been doing that as long as I can remember, so this is no big deal for me. It is nice to see it reinforced from time to time though. Sometimes it is hard to get over the fact that it isn't about you, it is about the client. Your success is often in tandem with that client, so work hard and get the deals done and mutually reap the benefit.
