My Crooked Life

MY CROOKED LIFE: Do I regret going to law school?

Shinah Chang ·

Former Lawyer.png

I went to law school for the same reason a lot of people go to law school: I didn’t know what else to do.

My whole life, I had followed a traditional path laid out in stone. Get good grades. Do lots of extracurricular activities. Ace the SATs. Go to the best college. Be a successful professional. THEN, maybe you can relax and be happy.

After getting a psychology degree in college, I had no idea what kind of job I wanted. Law school seemed safe. I read that you could do a lot of different things with a law degree. It would give me stability.

So I went to law school and here’s what happened:

  1. I learned to see the RISKS in everything, so that I could try to avoid them as much as possible when structuring a legal agreement

  2. I racked up $180,000 in student loans

  3. I spent almost 10 years of my life studying something I wasn’t particularly interested in, and doing a job I didn’t feel passionate about.

But still, and this might sound strange... I NEVER REGRET GOING TO LAW SCHOOL.

And here are the top three reasons why:

#1 - I use my lawyer knowledge ALL the time

When I first started my business, it was much easier for me to get a grasp of all the paperwork and business registrations that I needed to get done. It was still HARD and COMPLICATED, but I didn’t feel completely lost.

(Here’s a quick overview hint: You need to consider laws and regulations at four levels - 1) Federal, 2) State, 3) County and 4) City/Municipality/Town)

To this day, I can cobble together a simple contract when I need one for my business. But I also know my limits and when I need to hire a actual practicing lawyer to keep me safe and covered.

(Hint: if you’re feeling totally lost about contracts for your small, creative business, I highly recommend that you check out The Contract Shop. It’s full of checklists and contract templates so that you feel legally legit. (P.S. -I get a small percentage when you purchase anything through my link))

#2 - I learned skills that have helped me to succeed in my business

I can write a highly organized, efficient, responsive business email in my sleep.

(Hint: Numbered lists and bullet points help a LOT)

I know how to present myself in a professional way, so that clients have confidence in me.

(Hint: Get yourself a “branded” email address from Google. Like shinah@crookedcalligraphy.com instead of crookedcalligraphy@gmail.com - It’s not super expensive and it makes you seem more legit)

I understand the importance of organization, workflows and checklists to ensure I keep track of the million balls that small business owners have in the air at all times.

(Hint: Create a Google Doc and list out all the detailed steps it takes to get a particular task done in your business. Trust me, it’ll come in handy later)

#3 - It’s part of my uniquely magical STORY

You know how many people are drawn to me and my brand because of my lawyerly past? You might be one of them!

The POWER in my story is that I was on the wrong path, and then I had the courage to do something and now I’m headed in the right direction.

It’s a classic story arc: Hero faces a challenge, hero fails a little bit, hero overcomes and triumphs

It would be BORING AS HELL if the hero just won everything for his entire life without any difficulty.

So EMBRACE your past. Hold onto those moments when you did the wrong thing, or failed at something, or got rejected.

‘Cause in the future, that’s where the FUCKIN’ MAGIC is =)