So, What Do You Do?

People get asked this question all the time. And many have an easy answer. “Oh, I’m a doctor.” Or, “I own my own company.” Some even say, “I sell insurance.” No matter what the answer, there is usually a follow up question. What kind of doctor? What kind of company? What kind of insurance? (Who am kidding? No one ever asks that.) Hopefully, these folks have an answer. I think this question is even more common for lawyers.

People, with a strange gleaming in their eyes, always ask me — ooh, what kind of lawyer are you? I imagine they have exciting images in their heads of Law & Order marathons, network legal analysts pontificating about the latest international murder mystery, or even the O.J. Simpson trial (that’s what I used to think — I know, I’m dating myself). But it’s not what I am. Instead, I stammer around and say something like, “Oh, not a very exciting one.” What a terrible answer.

I need what the marketing people call an elevator speech. When someone asks me what kind of lawyer I am, I need an answer ready to go. One that acknowledges the importance of what I do. Because while some of you may not find local government law the sexiest practice around, I happen to really love what I do.

I help your city write local laws. Everything from where you can build a shed to financing multi-million dollar economic incentives. I do everything a fancy corporate lawyer does for big companies — I just do it for the city you live in. And I do it out in the open, for all the public to see (especially if you have an obsession with local cable access channels). I help make sure the rules about where you live, work, and play are fair for everyone, while still protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the community. I help deal with the people who actually work in city hall, whether they need raises or need a policy to stop workers from internet shopping while on the clock. I help build parks and streets. And I go to court. Just like real lawyers. Some cases have limited impact (who’s going to pay for that flooded storm pipe) and others have far wider reach (who’s going to pay for the all the houses that have to be torn down for a new expressway).

That’s what I do. Maybe a little longer than an elevator speech, but hey — it’s kind of a big deal. It’s worth it.