Careers
Former BigLaw Attorney and Author to Publish 2nd Book
Posted May 21, 2008, 04:01 pm CST
By Martha Neil
Once he graduated from law school and started work, Ben Fountain found he didn't much like being a lawyer. So, 20 years ago, after his wife made partner at Thompson & Knight, he left his job at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Dallas to pursue his interest in fiction writing.
The unusual career move has resulted in accolades for his short stories and a sense of satisfaction that he is pursuing his true vocation, reports Texas Lawyer in an article reprinted by New York Lawyer (reg. req.). It has not, however, been as lucrative as his legal career likely would have been: He makes "pretty good money for a writer," but during his best year so far, he made about half what a BigLaw first-year associate earns.
Fountain's first book, a collection of short stories entitled Brief Encounters With Che Guevara, was published in 2006. His first novel, The Texas Itch, will be published next year. Set in Dallas, it revolves around a former big-firm attorney who is now a criminal defense lawyer.
Legal writing is easier than writing fiction, he says, because the facts of the case and logical analysis provide structure. In fiction, "it all comes out of your head."
Read the full article here.