Essentials.

Evan Schaeffer over at the Legal Underground offers this post today about the lawyer's briefcase. This is part of Evan's latest series on "Things Important to Every Lawyer."

Perhaps a briefcase is important to every lawyer. We're the ones who read and write and carry around the briefs, after all. But eight years out of law school, I still don't own a briefcase. I carry around my daily stuff in a beat-up blue backpack (which I affectionately refer to as the backseat of the car I don't drive). I schlep papers to court or prison in piles and accordion files or, on rare occasion, in a black trial case (as ugly as Evan observes) borrowed from the office supply room.

I used to fantasize about owning a gorgeous, soft, supple leather Coach bag. You would think that someone would have gifted me with a properly professional briefcase upon my law-school graduation, but no such luck. And all the cash I amassed at that time went straight into paying the loans and supplementing my measly clerkship salary.

Even later, when I was raking in the big-firm bucks, I could never quite justify the expense. There were skis and bikes and climbing gear to buy. There was the down payment for my little house. There were trips to Europe and Asia and Hawaii. And I didn't really go to court all that often.

These days, I'm in court about once a month, on average. I still experience a few pangs of briefcase-envy as I stroll through the courthouse halls or watch my opponent unpack her papers from a snazzy leather bag. But I've managed pretty well without one, and I expect there will always be something else on which I'd rather spend $400. Come to think of it, isn't it about time to upgrade the wheels on my tri-bike?

Comments

[mom]

I practiced for 30 years and never had a briefcase! Accordion files, file boxes (sometimes dozens), whatever - they accompanied me to court and we did just fine. I have always been suspicious of lawyers with expensive briefcases (or uncluttered desks!). What are their priorities? What do they do when their case files are too voluminous for the briefcase? Don't they look stupid with one nice briefcase and ten tacky accordion files. At least if they don't have the briefcase, the accordions make a nice coordinated ensemble! Now, a Coach PURSE is another thing entirely! xx