You get good grades in college, pay a small fortune to put yourself through law school, study hard to pass the bar exam, and finally land a high-paying job in a prestigious firm. You're happy, right? Not really. Oh, it beats laying asphalt, but after all your hard work, you expected more from your job. What gives? The Happy Lawyer examines the causes of dissatisfaction among lawyers, and then charts possible paths to happier and more fulfilling careers in law. Eschewing a one-size-fits-all approach, it shows how maximizing our chances for achieving happiness depends on understanding our own personality types, values, strengths, and interests. Covering everything from brain chemistry and the science of happiness to the workings of the modern law firm, Nancy Levit and Doug Linder provide invaluable insights for both aspiring and working lawyers. For law students, they offer surprising suggestions for selecting a law school that maximizes your long-term happiness prospects. For those about to embark on a legal career, they tell you what happiness research says about which potential jobs hold the most promise. For working lawyers, they offer a handy toolbox--a set of easily understandable steps--that can boost career happiness. Finally, for firm managers, they offer a range of approaches for remaking a firm into a more satisfying workplace. Read this book and you will know whether you are more likely to be a happy lawyer at age 30 or age 60, why you can tell a lot about a firm from looking at its walls and windows, whether a 10 percent raise or a new office with a view does more for your happiness, and whether the happiness prospects are better in large or small firms. No book can guarantee a happier career, but for lawyers of all ages and stripes, The Happy Lawyer may give you your best shot.

1. Foreword 2. How Happy Are You? I Can't Get No . . . . Satisfaction It's a Wonderful Life (or a Pretty Good One) Law Is a Noble Profession Reconciling the Studies: Survey Says . . . . Who's Happy and Who's Not Do Lawyers Become Unhappy People or Do Unhappy People Become Lawyers? Pro Bono Bonus What Accounts for Attorney Unhappiness? High Billable Hours and Low Quality of Life Law Is Becoming More of a Business, Less of a Profession Pit Bulls and the "Promotion to Partner Tournament" Keeping up With the Jones Days Size Matters Why People Hate Lawyers 3. The Science of Happiness 4. The Happiness Toolbox Introduction Mattering Matters: The Joy of Feeling in Control The Rat Race The Facets of Control Getting Control It Could Be Worse: The Joy of Downward Comparison Reaping the Rewards of Relationships: It's the People, Stupid Can Lawyers Connect? Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime Finding the Flow Learning from the Happiness (or Unhappiness) of Others Knowing Yourself Can Make You Happier: Identifying Your Pleasures and Your Strengths Identifying Pleasures Identifying Strengths Not All Happiness Is Created Equal Finding a Job that Aligns With Your Values: Following Your Heart 5. Building a Happy Law Firm The Push to Transform the Practice of Law Obstacles Why Law Firms Should Change How Law Firms Can Change 6. The Role of Law Schools 7. Stories of Unhappy Lawyers (or Perhaps You Shouldn't Be a Lawyer) 8. Stories of Happy Lawyers (or Why You Should Stay/Become a Lawyer) 9. How Important is Happiness Anyway?