Vol. 32, No. 6, 1. An Insider's View.

• Author: By Sleeter C. Dover, Esq.

Wyoming Bar Journal

2009.

Vol. 32, No. 6, 1.

An Insider's View

Wyoming LawyerIssue: December, 2009An Insider's ViewBy Sleeter C. Dover, Esq. It is what it is...

Heard that one before? Of course you have, and if you are at all like me, I often wonder just where such bromides come from, and even more, what does this one mean? I suppose the beauty of it is that it can mean about anything the speaker, or listener for that matter, wants it to mean. Somewhat of a treasure trove wrapped up in just five words....lawyer heaven! Or hell, depending on the lawyer in question, and/or the commitment to the spoken and written word any particular lawyer has. Oh come now....notwithstanding our particular penchant for "wordsmithing" and finding fault with most, if not all, of our colleagues written and spoken words, ultimately, our professional success often hinges on the ability, or lack thereof, to arrange the written and spoken word.

That is just one element of the lawyering profession that can, and has, resulted in misery and consternation among many of our fellow attorneys. As such, and as one element inexorably leads to another, likewise are the chances or prospects for many, many more such distressing elements arising in the profession. Inherent in my duties here along with the duties of your Officers and Commissioners here at the Wyoming State Bar, is the annual review and analysis of the results of the WSB Member Survey. You, on the other hand, have the luxury of reading and analyzing the results as a leisurely activity, while we here take a more scientific and critical approach to the results provided.

For instance, one feature of our last few surveys has been an inquiry into the "job satisfaction," or more particularly, "professional satisfaction" of our members. Here things get a tad blurry. Are our members telling us that they are unhappy, dissatisfied, fed up, beat down, overwrought, or simply tired and disappointed in the practice of law? Are they telling us that the particular circumstance in which they find themselves is not providing the needed self-satisfaction or professional challenge they seek, or is it that they just somehow ended up in a profession that did not turn out at all to be what they thought from the outside looking in? The dilemma I face is to try to not only determine the answers to some of these...