It was over a beer that one of my former partners confessed his confusion. He could not understand why his secretary hated him so much. In a moment of absolute sincerity he pondered the unfairness of the situation and described himself as “a really nice guy.” When I finally stopped laughing, I had to tell him the sobering truth. He was absolutely wrong.

Years ago the founding partners of a well established Texas law firm were featured on the front page of a prominent legal publication. The five named partners struck a very dignified pose in a large photo above the fold. Although many firms might have celebrated this event as a public relations score, this particular firm felt unsatisfied. The partners looked great in their buttoned-up business suits, however, the photo conveyed a stuffiness that clearly did not exist in this progressive, family-friendly firm.

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The modern learning institution has evolved from the nine-to-five, brick-and-mortar structure of the past. With part-time programs, night, and weekend offerings, students now have more course options than ever. Empowered by the Internet, colleges and universities reach out to a global student body, 24 hours a day. For many law students, blended work and study schedules stretch around the clock. One might wonder when today’s students find enough time to get proper sleep. The reality for many is that they do not.

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Each year a new cadre of freshly minted lawyers enters the legal market brimming with optimism and confidence. Undaunted by the harsher realities of their chosen profession, they secure employment and prepare themselves for a career in law. There are outliers in this crowd; individuals who stand a bit taller than their colleagues, lifted not by merit but by the hot air of an overdeveloped ego. These swaggering braggarts cross the threshold of their career so utterly convinced of their own importance they become intoxicated with an exaggerated sense of self-worth.  To these lawyers I present a sobering antidote: the legal secretary.