One of the most intriguing people I met at LexThink! was Jeremy Blachman, a Harvard Law School 3L who is reknowned for his anonymous writing. Specifically, it turns out that the Anonymous Lawyer blog, which was supposedly written by an undisclosed hiring partner at a major law firm, was actually Jeremy Blachman. Anonymous Lawyer, in case you haven’t read that blog, is about a guy who is pretty barren. Some might say he’s an asshole. But even though he is easily despised there is something endearing about him, as this passage shows:
"Anonymous Wife has a delicious home-cooked meal planned for Easter tomorrow. Of course, she isn’t the one doing the cooking. It’s amazing what you can get for a hundred and eighty dollars per person. They even bring a picnic table. So the lawn furniture that I spent three thousand dollars on can remain in the garage, never touched. And Anonymous Wife can just sit there painting her toenails, and we still get to eat. My parents are here for the weekend, which explains why I’m in the office on Saturday afternoon. Dad is wandering the halls, looking for dust that the cleaning staff missed. He loves when he visits and I let him come to work with me. He misses this. I mean, it was never this intense for him, but he misses the atmosphere. He misses having a secretary. He misses having a set of people hanging on his every word. He misses having a reason to wake up in the morning, somewhere to go, someone to talk to. So I bring him here, let him run free, flip through stacks of paper, help me out on a case I don’t really need his help on, make him feel marginally useful. I think he appreciates it."
What is it about Anonymous Lawyer that draws the reader in? I suggest it is his forthrightness, his refreshing honesty. Yes, his life is devoid of passion. But he is at least passionate about being completely honest. Perhaps that explains why 15 law students sent their resumes to the Anonymous Lawyer. It’s kind of sad isn’t it? These days people are so desperate to find an honest lawyer that they will even find themselves drawn to one that is a complete emotional cipher. Then again, maybe law students are just desperate to get jobs, to the point where they’d apply anywhere and say anything to get hired.
But let’s talk about Jeremy. By now it’s well-known that he has landed a book deal based on his Anonymous Lawyer creation, and it’s also obvious that Jeremy will not practice law. After spending some time with him, I can say I’m very glad for him. He’s an extremely bright and exceedingly curious young man, and he has great powers of observation. We need people like Jeremy analyzing us more than we need them acting like us.
He’s the one filled with a compelling sense of honesty, and he’s the one that people are drawn to. I wish him well, and was very glad to have the chance to meet him.
P.S. If you want a practice optimized for remote work & virtual collaboration, get this 24-page guide.
