abogado de campanilla

two years ago, i left government service to become, according to a good friend, an abogado de campanilla. oh, how i hated that term, not to mention how he made me feel that i wasn't doing the right thing. i was abandoning a great job - a job which admittedly taught me much, a job which allowed me to take the bar while still gainfully employed, a job which didn't tax me to oblivion - in favor of a job which not only paid less but promised to be more difficult.

in the words of my former boss, it was sheer katangahan.

of course, at that time, switching jobs meant the world to me. i was in heaven over the fact that i had a secretary, i had my own room, and i had my own computer. after a while, i was also assigned cases, and clients called me for advice. i appeared in court, bought my first suit in years, and was even happy over the fact that now i had to stay late in the office sometimes to finish things. in my mind, i was finally the lawyer i wanted to become.

two years later, i am besieged with doubt as to whether or not i did the right thing.

but you know, everyone goes through this. and, while i am presently more unhappy than i am with my job, i know that if i pray hard enough, i'll figure out what god's plans for me are. after all, it was a tearfully said prayer that allowed this job to materialize ... i am sure that another heartfelt prayer will bring more answers than questions.

in the meantime, i owe it to myself to just enjoy the blessings i've received -- and there are plenty believe me. it's so easy to be upset when things aren't going my way, but i know that things will be worse for me if things aren't going God's way, right?

and considering that i almost bumped into (a still very good-looking) eddie garcia in the lobby, i have every reason to smile.

one year down, a lifetime to go

on my final year in law school, while all my classmates were planning their future, all i wanted to do was finish. that and pass the bar. whereas everyone had grand plans (and invitations even) to join the best firms in the country, all i wanted was for the torture known as "working student while in law school" to end.

it finally did. and when it did, i sorta had a job offer: to clerk for a court of appeals justice who was the mom of a former student.

clerking for a court of appeals justice was a great first job. it helped me transition from law student to lawyer without much difficulty since it mostly involved drafting decisions. everything i learned (and did not learn) in law school slowly unfolded before my bewildered mind and started making sense. it was then that i realized how much i loved labor, how much i detested civil law, and how, given the proper crime, criminal law could be an exciting field to pursue. the pay was okay, the hours great, and the life fantabulous.

but i guess man (or woman) is never really satisfied and it wasn't long before my dad's and aunt's proddings, coupled with my childhood vision of what a lawyer is, sprinkled with some advice from a good friend made me want to actually practice law. i wanted to be a notary public. i wanted to sign pleadings. i wanted to appear in court. i wanted to be - pardon the nomenclature - a "real lawyer".

of course i didn't realize that being a "real lawyer" would mean longer hours in the office. it meant no more sneakers at work, suits on specified days, and addressing major and minor concerns of clients. being a "real lawyer" meant hard work and lower pay. being a "real lawyer" meant sacrifices, big and small.

i remembered praying about it intently. in fact, i attempted to make the move twice. the first time didn't push through out of choice, but the second one screamed answered prayer through and through. i got hired to work in a firm where one of the founding partners is a professor i admired in law school, i got hired on the day i least expected it, and i got hired in a firm that will help me achieve my best self. it happened so quickly, so seamlessly that at first i couldn't believe things were actually happening the way i planned they would. but they did, and i'm glad beyond words.

tomorrow i'll be celebrating my first year anniversary at this place. i've got nothing really planned, in fact i'd almost forgotten about it. all i've got right now is this tribute post of sorts.

what i can say though is this:

i've got one year down, and a lifetime to go. i know it won't be long before even more beautiful things start happening for me. i am glad god answers prayers, and that out of my many prayers he answered this one. i may not have had plans then and my future may not be as mapped out as others' are. but career wise, so far, i think i have found home.