Has studying or practicing law made it more difficult for you to read for pleasure?
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In the November issue of the ABA Journal, Black’s Law Dictionary editor-in-chief Bryan Garner writes about an encounter with a law firm partner who approached him with a problem: Ever since law school, she’s found herself scouring whatever she’s reading for most relevant, skimming “for the main point—as if for a holding. But in literature, it’s not there.”
Garner admits in the column that he himself has to make a mental adjustment when reading for pleasure: “I have to consciously remind myself to slow down and read every word. Relish the language. Don’t rush. Pay attention not just to what’s being said but also to how it’s being said.”
So this week, we’d like to ask you: Has studying or practicing law made it more difficult to read for pleasure? Has reading for legal research changed the way you read to the point that it is no longer fun? Has the volume of reading involved in your work sadly made reading the last thing you want to do when it’s time to unwind? Or do you love reading books for pleasure as much (or even more) than you ever did before studying law? (Interest in the ABA Journal’s “30 Lawyers Pick 30 Books Every Lawyer Should Read” list indicates that there are indeed lawyers out there hungry for new books to read.)
Answer in the comments.
Read the answers to last week’s question: Have you ever made a change in your day-to-day life based on a case you’ve worked on?
Featured answer:
Posted by Carrie: “This is the change I have made—when waiting to make a left turn, keep the wheels pointed straight ahead until you are actually starting to make the turn so that if you are rear-ended you will not be shoved into the oncoming traffic lane. Had a client who had turned the wheels left in anticipation of making the turn, was rear-ended and pushed in front of an oncoming semi-truck.”
Do you have an idea for a future question of the week? If so, contact us.
