Memento

Chapter 4

There are different tools to navigate this vast adventure filled place called life, a compass, a map, anything with coordinates, lines and symbols, signs and numbers. I've never found them useful as I look into your eyes; a path less taken, a route bustling with life, does it matter? I wouldn't get lost either way.

sgd. 9/15

"I've missed looking at the sky."

" Yeah, I'm pretty sure it missed you too, love. It was so sad it turned blue without you"

" God, that is the cheesiest thing you have ever said to me!"

" Well, you don't call me Wendy.."

" McGreasy, for a reason. Yes, I know."

" Wait, you remember?"

" Of course I'll always remember, silly!"

It has been so long since Joohyun and I went outside for a breather. We were so caught up with different things, juggling cases mostly..

only for me to lose the most important one.

losing sleep, skipping meals, love-hate relationship with coffee and tea, a splash of alcohol every now and then. (Depends on which side of the industry we're taking on, really.)

Being a lawyer is a noble profession they say, well damn right, it better be. I've never been slapped with so many close calls my entire life.

I'm not going to lie, it has been nothing but satisfying.

If law school introduced one to an egoistic version of themselves only to be humbled down right after every recitation, the law profession would skyrocket one's superiority complex but will also plant one's face back to the ground with every pro bono case won.

Let me tell you about two of the many sides in this spectrum:

One. Lawyers who take pro bono cases not just to widen their expertise and experience but also aims for a rather colorful and dashing 'record.' (vast majority, let's be real)

Two. On the other hand, there are lawyers who take pro bono cases because they actually have the heart for it, lawyers who perceives pro bono cases as the core of who they are as professionals.

Joohyun and I found ourselves at the crossroads of this spectrum in our fifth year as legal practitioners.

It's not a secret that the topnotchers for a specific year were quasi 'scouted' by the Office of the Solicitor General. Who wouldn't want to be a part of it? It's another arena to hone one's skill as a lawyer.

The cases.

The mentors.

The environment.

Everything is set for one to soar and excel in this profession. Not to mention the benefits, a hefty compensation, and of course, some classy bragging rights.

But the four of us had other plans, it was a sacred pact that we made in law school.

We will put up our own firm no matter what the results are, wherever we land, sky high or rock bottom, as long as we pass the bar, we are bound and determined to create our own legacies in this profession.

It was set in stone. And man we really did just that.

It was a struggle at first, bringing in sharp, ambitious, young lawyers, convincing them that we have so much more to offer rather than those well-established, executive realness, pioneer law firms with old, high rolling power dressers, seasoned lawyers in the field.