The skills of a lawyer

There's some good stuff in the November issue of Chicago Lawyer (no website) which makes me think I should stop throwing away my free issues. There's an article entitled Seems like everyone wants to write the great novel that caught my eye. It covers the story of lawyer-turned-author Laura Caldwell, a Chicago (former) trial lawyer.

Laura says that her success happened because she first pursued a career in law. She says that even the discipline of "billable hours" was crucial to her disciplined success as a novelist. Also the storytelling of a litigator has obviously been critical. In closing the author writes:

In the end, whether lawyers dabble in writing as a hobby or with the ambition of becoming the next big thing, it's great to know that the skills we learn as lawyers can lead to success in an entirely different career...

Sort of like my first job out of college teaching high school social studies and coaching football and wrestling.