THE LEGAL PROFESSION- WHERE IT PAYS TO BE ANAL

At law schools around the country, students are teased and ridiculed for their OCD ridden personalities and particular preferences regarding all things in life. Whether it be a detailed highlighting scheme for case briefing, color coding class notes, color coding planners, tabbing law books, or perfectly organizing outlines, the attention to detail (and overuse of post-it notes and highlighters) displayed by most law students is quite a (colorful) sight to see. From the outside looking in, and even to the geniuses on the inside who do not need organizational tools to get them from task to task, this level of organization may seem extreme and like a waste of time and resources; however, if I have learned one thing from my six months of clerking at Rice, Amundsen & Caperton, is that as a law student or as an attorney, you can NEVER be too organized. Here at Rice, Amundsen & Caperton, being organized is synonymous with being professional. Regardless of the setting, whether it be meeting with a judge, client, or clerk, attending mediation or a trial, Larry Rice’s team has an organizational method to match. Not only does having all the paperwork organized in an easy to find manner make for an efficient use of time for us, it makes it easier for the Judge as well. On an office-wide scale, having organizational methods in place keeps the storage of files and preparation for meetings, meditations, trials, etc. easier because everyone works in a streamlined and consistent fashion. A little work completed on the front end can mean saving time, money, and frustration on the back end- and thankfully for me (and all the other color coding crazies in the world), the legal profession is one in which being an OCD and ultra-organized person pays off. Written By Law Clerk Courtney Sharp