Time Waits for Nothing

-- By JenniferAnderson - 19 May 2012

Intro

Within any career, time constraints, chanced timings left to chance, and other facets of time can impact the effectiveness of the job of the lawyer. This idea was explored in the class’ early discussion of Lawyerland and when Moglen posited that “within the legal realm, time is one of the most important realms of legal media.” The concept of time can serve as an enabler and as an inhibitor. Time (or at least our conception of time) places constraints on how lawyers and people in society operate. Looking at my life in terms of the opportunities I have had, the people I have met, and moving forward in my professional career that I have chosen for myself, the way in which I have consistently viewed time has been weighing on me. Entering a profession where time is both literally and figuratively of the essence…

In Light of My Law School Experience

As I step back and realize that I am almost done with my second semester of my first year of law school, I realize that I am an adult. I am in professional School. I am now not only responsible for my own financial and personal needs, but also those of my clients. Being impacted by time rather than controlling it. Some conscious decisions of time will have to be reached if I am to achieve some sort of professional, personal, and academic balance. In looking at time; things will work itself out versus taking advantage of time and shaping things. There is a tension between getting things (as in going through the motions) and doing things with purpose (with passion). The first is just following a specific structure. This utilizes efficiency and allows things to get done in a timely fashion. Just because you are in the motion of doing something does not mean that you will be doing that thing whole heartedly. Meeting deadlines and completing something in a certain fashion often comes at the cost…

What does One Gain and Lose

Time as a concept that is often taken for granted; how society tends to conceptualize time can often be more complicated. On the one hand, it does lead to perceived practical outcomes; people are more focused, work with more of a sense of urgency, and work becomes more efficient. On the other hand, it constrains what an individual can focus on. Sometimes precision has to be sacrificed because of the sense of urgency that is placed on something. Also, what can be focused on becomes much more limited. In order to achieve one, the other has to be discarded. Without a doubt, people who have come before questioned what their times mean, organized their time in light of the different constraints that exist, and impacted how people in the present reflect upon their time.

Thoughts Moving Forward

Time, and the constraints that it creates, does create a sense of order. Time forces people to structure their lives in a way that maximizes outcomes. However, time does create hard boundaries. In a sense, it can become an obstacle to doing what one wants to accomplish. It would be difficult to think of a world where time and deadlines didn’t drive people to read enough for an exam, submit a paper by a certain time, or meet with someone about sensitive information as soon as possible.