Paul Swearingen

I grew up in a rural area in a time before cable television and satellite dishes were options for such areas. The three national networks were the only channels we had to choose from when watching television. On most days, when the weather was good, we had one more independent channel that would come in clearly enough to watch. This channel would show nothing but re-runs of old shows. This is where I was introduced to the “Perry Mason” show.

Perry Mason was a character created in books written by Earl Stanley Gardner in the 1930’s, brought to life on a television series that aired in the late 1950’s- early 1960’s. Perry was a criminal defense attorney, and every episode featured Perry representing a client that everyone believed was guilty of a crime, usually murder. Perry would fight for his client, investigate every angle, and by the end of the episode, uncover the truth and prove his client innocent. This show came on every weekday at lunch time. After a summer morning of playing ball outside with brothers and friends, I would take a break and watch Perry Mason win yet another case while eating my lunch.

I always loved a good mystery. I loved trying to solve the case along with Perry Mason, trying to figure out who really committed the crime before the big reveal at the end of the episode. Perry was brilliant in the courtroom, and after watching this show all summer and reading the novels, I was hooked on the idea of being a lawyer. I remember our English teacher the next school year asking us to write a paper on what we wanted to be when we finished school, and I wrote about being a lawyer. From that point on, law was the only profession I even considered.

As we often find out when growing from childhood to adulthood, reality does not always meet the expectations we set based on what we see on television. I must confess that during my first year of law school, the reality of the legal profession set in, and I began to question if I really wanted to be a lawyer. The more I studied, and the more I saw of the profession from working as a law clerk, the less it looked like the world of Perry Mason. Innocent criminal clients come along much less often than portrayed on television. The practice of law involves much more behind the scenes work and paperwork than it does courtroom drama. Despite popular belief, becoming a lawyer does not automatically come with a big paycheck. It is definitely not as glamourous as what you see on television.

Almost by accident, I ended up practicing real estate and probate law. I did not have those areas of practice in mind when I went to law school, or even when I graduated law school. An opportunity arose to practice law in those areas as I passed the bar exam, so I decided to give it a try. Almost 19 years later, I am still practicing the same types of law. I often hear about how in divorce cases, no client is entirely happy with the outcome. In criminal cases, unless you get a not guilty, the client is usually not entirely happy with the outcome. But I have found that in my practice, I am able to help people with their problems and, more often than not, I have a happy client leaving my office.

We often take for granted how much a kind word or a compliment can brighten someone’s day. I can’t tell you how much it means for a client to tell me how grateful that they are for my help, or how happy they are to have chosen me to be their attorney. We all want to feel like we are needed, like we are doing something meaningful in this world. An expression of sincere gratitude from a client is worth much more than any fee collected ever could be. I recently got the most thoughtful and sincere expression of thanks that I have ever received from a client, which I want to share here:

This letter from Diane made my day. This is why we practice law. This is why we endure the bad days, the bad lawyer jokes, the misperceptions, the days of wading through mountains of paperwork and the days where you feel like you’ve read so much that your eyesight has gone blurry. Being able to help clients like Diane and hear how we have made a difference in their lives is why we come to work every morning. It may not be the glamourous and adventurous life I envisioned while watching “Perry Mason” re-runs, but knowing that I make a positive impact on people’s lives makes it worth all the effort.