An Open Love Letter to My Future Employer

Dear Future Employer, whomever you may be,

I just wanted to take a moment to express my love for you. Looking back on this journey, I know in my heart how lucky I’ll be when I find you.

Today, I officially completed my last law exam ever until the bar. With lightness in my heart—and lightness in my bag, after unloading my 50-page Stock Purchase Agreement redline for Negotiated Corporate Transactions—I walked out of law school forever until I start my bar prep course in a couple weeks. I felt truly #blessed.

For other graduating 3Ls in my scuffed-up, unemployed shoes, this feeling was fleeting. Anxiety quickly began building as statistics about falling law school graduate employment rates danced through their minds. Their palms started sweating as they practiced how they would answer the questions about their job status at graduation. “The market is still tough,” was still ringing in their ears. “It’s not you, it’s a recession combined with an innovation-resistant industry me.”

But those thoughts were far from my mind, employer, because I know that you’re worth the wait.

I’ll always remember the response I got when describing my perfect employer to a Big Law attorney I once met. I had waxed poetic about a workplace where everyone knows each other and cares about each other. A workplace that is forward-thinking, that embraces market trends and technological development. A workplace that knows that a positive experience is worth so much more than a 90-hour-a-week salary can buy. A workplace that realizes that work should be fun.

Want to know what he said?

“You just want that because you’re a millennial with no work ethic.”

But you know that’s not true. You get me. And before now, I’ve only ever said that phrase about Fleetwood Mac.

Before now, I’ve been too scared to ask the real questions I want answers to—the questions hiring partners say they “would never dare to ask.” The questions about culture. The questions about happiness. What are your people like? What do you think about the future of our profession? How flexible can you be if I want a change of scenery and take my laptop to the coffee shop across the street?

When I meet you, I’ll finally ask. And I’ll be so happy that I waited for you, because for once in my life, instead of getting an eye roll, I’ll get a smile.

You’ll smile because you know I’m not asking for lack of work ethic. Those things don’t matter to me because I don’t want to work. They matter to me because I want to be happy where I work. I want to be in love with where I work. And because you’re passionate about my happiness, I’ll be passionate about yours. In fact, I’ll work harder for you than you ever dreamed I could.

So thank you. Thank you for taking the time to understand me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for helping me find my purpose in this crazy world.

And thank you for letting me use a standing desk. I know you think it’s weird, but it’s making my calves look amazing.

Love Always,

Robot Lawyer