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Law Profs Whine; In-House Grin and Bear It
That whining sound you heard last week was not the winter wind blowing in over the Plains but the kvetching of law professors over the misery of their lot. Paul L. Caron may be to blame, thanks to his post, Why Are Law Professors So Unhappy?. Picking up on a discussion from last year about why law professors are so edgy, Caron points to a new book, "The Three Signs of a Miserable Job," to find support for the proposition that law profs have cause to be miserable. Caron's post drew a cacophony of commentary from law professors pro and con, which Caron kindly wrapped up in a New Year's Eve post. "Much of the commentary argues that law professors have a great job and that most are happy with their jobs," Caron writes, explaining that his question focused on, "Given how great this job is, why are some law professors so unhappy?"
One commentator's response to all this was, "Suck it up." That commentator would be unable to say that about in-house counsel. They are working harder than ever, but rather than whine about it, they are claiming to be happier than ever. Rees Morrison points to Geoff Gussis's earlier post at Inhouse Blog about the findings of a recent survey of in-house lawyers at multinational firms. Its conclusion: Technology brings them information overload and longer working hours, but more job satisfaction. Why would longer hours equate with greater satisfaction? Morrison's theory is, at least in part, the flexibility technology allows of working from home and elsewhere.
So while law professors -- who may just have the cushiest jobs in the legal profession -- whine, in-house counsel face their fattening workloads and urge, "Bring it on."
Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on January 2, 2008 at 02:02 PM | Permalink
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