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Reconciling one’s creativity in the legal profession
Balancing the need to be creative with keeping it concise and “no-nonsense” in legal practice can be a hard lesson to learn, writes Leanne Cousinery.
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In 2021, I was admitted to the legal profession, and with this achievement, an increasingly clear realisation that being creative (in a traditionally “no-nonsense” profession) is a genuine and sure-fire challenge to my creative being.
Thinking back to my university days, numerous law lecturers preparing my cohort for law exams warned us: “Do NOT take us down the garden path or take a scattergun approach!” In all honesty, I have taken more than one or two law examiners down the garden path (Belated apologies to whoever marked my papers!)
I am sure I unintentionally tortured my law teachers with “scattergun” prose instead of a “tight and concise” IRAC-structured answer. Not using IRAC in a law exam or assignment? What a cardinal sin!
Against the advice of these well-meaning university teachers, I often used and still use flowery language. I, therefore, find it seriously hard not to let this seep into my professional day-to-day tasks: either it be writing correspondence, speaking with colleagues and so on and so forth.
I often find myself wondering: “Am I coming off as ‘too much?’ or ’too excitable?’, ‘too animated?’, too this or too that?” and truthfully, it can result in a crisis of confidence.
Honestly, most times, I barely think in a linear or clear fashion, and so, I am deeply appreciative of the “different way of thinking” that law school has instilled within me. I have been challenged to think in a structured, logical way, learned to look at facts and evidence and view issues through an objective lens.
I can proudly say, studying law has provided me with a chance to balance my organically whimsical self with being a “pragmatic” lawyer.
On another note, the silver lining to my creative self/logical self “conundrum” lies in social media. With platforms including LinkedIn, Instagram, and even TikTok (encouraging authenticity, diversity, and the celebration of “otherness” in the legal profession), I am cautiously optimistic that my inner need to be “flowery” can be equalised with my “no-nonsense”, IRAC-using lawyer self.
So here is to the lawyers, no matter how junior or senior, who are inherently creative and right-brained but continue to contribute to the now-evolving legal industry.
Leanne Cousinery is a graduate lawyer at Roam Migration Law.