DISCLAIMER:   This post has been inspired from the pure love that I have developed for the law over the past few months.

‘Law is a fundamental body of principles which has been codified.’ This is what  most of us are taught at law school and with this we undertake the seemingly constant drudgery of learning various laws ranging from the bare beginning of the Tort to the immensely complex Tax. What we aren’t taught is that law for the most part can imbibe in you, a love, a love which can be better than the very art of making physical love, a love which can make you sit beyond working hours at the workplace, a love which makes you want to want more, a love which makes you sit through those long sessions at a dirty civil court (no offence meant) and a love which simply makes you feel blessed to be in this lovely profession. Law seduces, and law seduces with a power which is unmatched, a power which makes you feel that you have been gifted from above, to be differentiated from mere mortals to accomplish an endeavor which only higher beings are entitled to undertake.

For reference, I now imagine the law to be the Apsara Maneka who seduced the Rishi Vishwamitra through an interplay of grace, balance and tact and it was through their intercourse that the beautiful Shakuntala was born. With this background in mind, let me now enumerate the seductive powers that the law has:

Research- Not everyone can research, not everyone can research well, and not everyone can find whatever is required. The joy of finding something after a long and arduous search is something which cannot be explained in words. The self satisfaction which you get out of finding the appropriate provision or precedent is equivalent to the first steps that Maneka might have taken in finding Vishwamitra deep in meditation.

Speech- ‘Speech is golden, silence is silver’ is more applicable when it comes to the law. Of course, there is always the automatic ‘need to basis’ clause which every lawyer has to comply with. But, arguing in a court and getting the Judge to see your viewpoint and convincing him about the same is not something everyone can do. If you’re in the profession, then realize the innate seductiveness that the aura of the profession has, see through the enormous books, the legal databases and the non compromising judges and start loving the profession. In the end, the profession will give in and show you the way ahead. This is similar to the scene where the wind was asked to spread a heavenly fragrance all around the forest where Vishwamitra was meditating while it blew Maneka’s clothes off. You blow the judges mind over with your arguments and the victory will automatically follow.

Legalese- This probably is what sets you apart from the rest. Being surrounded by people who know the law, who use Latin because they actually know what it means, rather than using it for sounding cool is an experience which again puts you on a higher plane where you can find your bearings only with the type of people you want. This is similar to the enticing poem that Maneka sang to Vishwamitra. The beauty of expressing yourself in a completely legal manner is the biggest kick anyone can have.

Drafting- Drafting is the pure power to express something so complex and so technical in a manner which requires great skill, experience and legal acumen. It is like writing a letter to your lover; you need to set out the steps slowly and steadily with each intricate detail being covered. Maneka made Vishwamitra devour her and all her beauty through what she put forth. Draft, draft in a manner that your client is forced to accept that Yes! The law has seduced you, and not me, for I am a mere mortal.

Intelligence- Pure intelligence and nothing else. The fraternity which you belong to knows wordplay; it knows how to fiddle around the law and make the law its lover through which pleasure can be derived from. It only uses brainpower and nothing else. Here again, the line of success is determined on the basis of how well you are seduced by the law. The law can either be your bitch whom you can use as and when you want, it can be your soul mate if you genuinely love it or it can be a recurring headache like most infatuated relationships.

For the purposes of clarity,

=By Bitch I mean, arguing as a lawyer in court and charging by the minute because you can make the law do what you want it to do and no one else can command and question you.

=By Soul mate I mean, something  which could range from being an activist lawyer arguing for environmental rights to that of a hotshot corporate lawyer to that of a legal professional who studies the law for research and other like purposes.

=By recurring headache I mean, people who don’t love the law, who don’t appreciate it and only look at it from the points of view which could range from that of a constant disillusion of equating law with a desk job only meant for money and nothing more, to people who use the law as a constant means of reminding themselves that this wasn’t their first choice preference profession, for they initially wanted to undertake engineering for instance and landed up in law by default.

 Maneka was sent by Lord  Indra in order to break Vishwamitra’s deep penance. Similarly, accept that you are a class apart from the rest, and let the law seduce you.

 The secret of being in this profession is not about how much money you earn, where you stand as far as practice goes or even your achievements in law school. The secret lies in allowing the law to seduce you, once you allow it to do that, then automatically, the law will give you all the pleasures that you could have ever wished for. Your life will forever be set. Nobody should ever have a regret to join this hallowed profession; it’s a license to get seduced for a lifetime, a seduction which can propel you to wanting more and more and more.

P.S.

1) This post has been written in a slightly intoxicated state.

2) The idea for this post came in from a friend of mine whom I call ‘Z’.

3) Due to popular opinion and also having seen the immediate impact of the same, I am now trying out positive thinking.