French vs the Law

Have you ever wondered what you would have done had you not taken the law school to law practice route? There are many of us out there who think what else could I have done? Personally if I could do it again maybe I'd do something related to French and France. Back in those days though despite the ooh la la flavor of le francais (Oops lap top no cedilla under le C) the attraction of the Law superseded those guttural U's, those absent s's and of course those slick liaisons. Mon dieu! What attraction?

I mean when I thought of pursing a degree in French as opposed to Law, (yes in my world we do an undergrad degree in law prior to Law school) there just seemed no contest. What would I become with a French degree, a teacher, a translator/interpreter, a UN employee, a hospitality employee. Nope, not attractive, at the time. The lure of the Law was overpowering. It involved rigorous study of impressive books, dramatic exchanges with our peers, flowery expressions in a language even older and more mysterious than french, arguments with real life lawyers and judges at moot court, attendance in real courts amidst gowns and wigs, pretense of lawyering at legal aid clinic, dreams of success, money and status and of course witty repartee.

Convinced we were out to make the world a better place and get rich doing it we stuck with the program, toiling along case after case with the development of the common law. The judges were our friends, Diplock and Denning to name a few. We learned not to be a good Samaritan in Criminal Law, to examine our drink in light of the negligence in Donoghue v Stevenson, to cheer the assistance that equity gives to the Law, to distinguish between domicile and residence, offer and invitation to treat and of course contract of service and contract for service. The Law gave birth to some true draftsmen, thrilled to use words like save and except and inter alia as they demonstrated their understanding of the ejusdem generis rule. Oh how excited and nervous we were at moot court as we dressed in our one and only dark suit with pumps to match. Friends became adversaries seeking to score points as advocacy was for the stars, the litigators to come. Properly somber as we addressed the court we gesticulated and waxed lyrical quoting dead judges, citing sections and paragraphs and sometimes even injecting a sardonic jab or two.

No way could French compare regardless of its supposedly romantic allure. It is just another language I thought and I could even become fluent one day. But Law, that couldn't be delayed there was work to be done, money to be made and more dark suits to be worn. That was then. Now after pools of adversarial blood, thousands of contractual amendments and countless agreements and disagreements, sardonic wit has given way to cynical perception and a stroll along the Champs Elysee, the corridors of the UN, or even a high school classroom - gesticulating as only the French do - doesn't sound too bad at all. I look forward to quoting from other dead men, Jean Paul Sartre and Saint Exupery to name a few; sucking on escargots and frog legs with relish and no hint of a negligence suit, interpreting with ease and fluency applying the rules of le bon usage and spicing up boring dark suits with that insouciant French chic flavor: colored scarves and high heel boots.

So now classes at the Alliance Francaise evoke the same excitement as Law school did. Zut alors! At least I know there are alternatives so one day maybe just maybe I will exercise the power and find a way to leave the bar. Let me have your feedback, those of you out there who had secret passions you wished you had pursued.

Esoteric Legal Phrase:

Ejusdem generis: Latin for "of the same kind," used to interpret loosely written statutes. Where a law lists specific classes of persons or things and then refers to them in general, the general statements only apply to the same kind of persons or things specifically listed