The Advocacy Club Parable Series
This webpage features parables - each one a simple short story (a three-minute read) that teaches a professionally significant lesson. The stories are works of fiction by John Hollander, founder of the Advocacy Club, mostly involving characters from Murphy's Law. Despite the word 'parable,' there is no religious connotation. Contact me here if you have a story with a lesson you would like to share with visitors to this page.
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Professionalism pops up in many forms. It doesn't only arise when a professional meets a client. This parable presents a situation where two law students, an adjunct professor and a vice-dean grapple with conduct that tests their professionalism.
Here it is, with Marianne Adams playing the role of the prof. |
Time management sounds so simple. If only we could manage our time better, we could accomplish so much! Well, the first step isn't all that difficult. In fact, I learned it (as did many of my colleagues) in a Law Society-sponsored half-day course. This parable can save you $120!
Here it is, starring Jake Murphy.
Here it is, starring Jake Murphy.
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If you want to learn a subject, teach it. I can remember my father telling me that when I asked him why he volunteered to lead a discussion group grappling with a subject that was beyond me.
This Parable presents just that lesson, as seen through the eyes of Jake Murphy. I hope you like it. Read the story as a PDF here. |
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Another skill that lawyers don't learn in law school is how to promote themselves. the LSAT and high grade requirements lead to a natural selection process that tends to favour introverts and abrasive personalities. Teamwork rarely features among the life lessons that garner recognition. Who - ever - got a prize for being the best teammate?
This Parable describes a choice faced by a minor character in Murphy's Law. He's unhappy where he works, but what is he prepared to do for an upgrade? Read the story as a PDF here. |
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Lawyers like to think, analyze, and prepare. But occasionally, stuff happens that compels an immediate reaction. Not what we're trained for.
This Parable describes a case, drawn from personal experience, where the lawyer can't press the 'pause' button and call a friend for advice. Read the story as a PDF here. |
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Most often, lawyers apply for jobs ad take what appears to be the best one on offer. Then they work it until something better comes along. We do much better work for our clients than we do for ourselves.
This Parable describes two friends, drawn from the Murphy's Law crew, thinking through the perfect job analysis. Read the story as a PDF here. |
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We think it's all about us, right? Lawyers tend to have healthy - OK, maybe unhealthy - egos. And face it, we don't always win. What happens in that scary moment after you conclude and before the decision-maker rules? I mean, they don't always reserve, do they?
This Parable describes the emotional ride of a litigator in that very nervy interval. Read the story as a PDF here. |
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What does a junior lawyer do when all the assumptions disappear for no fault of her own? Still set in the fictional town of South Park, this 1,400-word parable tells the story of how Suzanne Lapointe, the young lawyer who becomes managing partner of a new firm, The Cabinet (the Murphy's Law sequel in progress), deals with an emergency that threatens to bankrupt her new startup law firm.
The story also serves as another detour from John Hollander's Advocacy Club Fiction series. Read the story as a PDF here. |
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How does a junior lawyer deal with an unreasonable client, one who won't listen to his advice? Set in the fictional town of South Park (there really is a city of this name), this 1,000-word parable tells the story of how Jake Murphy establishes that his client can't succeed, but won't accept Jake's thoughtful opinion.
The story also serves as a detour from John Hollander's Advocacy Club Fiction series. Read the story as a PDF here. |