THE ADVOCATE 229
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
LAP NOTES
By Anonymous
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE THE ONE ASKING FOR HELP
I never thought I would be writing an article for the Advocate or talking
about getting help, of any kind, especially from LAPBC. I have lived a
blessed life. I had a good stable family when growing up, with good friends,
a good education and excellent health. I did well in school, played sports
and had hobbies, including playing the piano and later the guitar. I went to
university and did well enough to get into law school. Being a lawyer had
been one of my dreams, and I enjoyed law school and being around my
classmates. I continued to enjoy my hobbies. I played intermural sports,
hung out with friends and talked about life and the law, and even played my
guitar with a group of friends—we were a band of sorts and played some
very small gigs, but mostly we just played together.
I got good articles at a large law firm and was taken under the wing of,
and mentored by, one of the legal heavies. My career prospered. My life
continued to be blessed. I worked hard but still had time to work out, play
hockey and hang out with friends, and even play my guitar. Of course, as
my career progressed, I did less of those things, but I was still regular and
consistent with them, even after I got married and had children. I began to
do even bigger trials and eventually became a partner at the firm. I had it
made. I did have periods of feeling stretched, but I worked through them
and continued with my healthy habits, although again less frequently but
still consistently. I was working at what I loved. I loved my wife and family.
I had great long-time friends, though I saw them only irregularly, usually at
professional functions. I exercised regularly and continued to play hockey
with my group. I played my guitar infrequently and never with my group
to practice. Still, life was good.
I was young and full of energy and kept very busy. In retrospect, I was
doing a bit too much and going a bit too fast. I did have some conflict with