Too many lawyers believe that they must make a choice between a legal career and a literary one. Although many lawyers are fine writers (at least when they’re not crafting legalese), an artificial division exists between the law and the arts. Vast numbers of lawyers mistakenly believe that to be good at their profession they must give up most of what they love, including writing for publication.
But it’s not true, and it never was. When we look at history we see that lawyers have often been successful writers. From London magistrate Henry Fielding, author of “Tom Jones,” to contemporary novelists like Scott Turow, John Grisham and David Baldacci, lawyers have long been known for making significant contributions to literature. OK, Fielding and Turow have.
