There’s a particular collection of characteristics that come to mind when you hear the word “lawyer”.
A suit, devil-may-care attitude, and major suave, perhaps. To be honest, when I dabbled in law, I certainly had moments when I felt very cool dropping legal lingo or wearing an aggressive shade of red lipstick to moot court. I not only accepted the Harvey Spectre-esque lawyer stereotype, but, to a certain extent, embraced it and thought it gave me an edge.
One-dimensional generalisations about what people in particular vocations are like (accountants are boring; politicians are immoral; artists are chaotic) are limiting and, often, highly inaccurate. Jon Meyer is an example of this.
Jon Meyer. Source: Jon Meyer
Shaky beginnings
“In my first few years at university, I was definitely not your…what should we say? Golden student” admits Jon. After a relatively smooth ride through high school, and an exhilarating gap year, Jon began his legal journey at Wits University with a less-than-rigorous approach to studying. “I spent my undergrad trying to relive my gap year”, he explains. “I was immature and I was taking things for granted”.
I think we’ve all been there, whether it’s a gap year, a comfy couch with GOTs on repeat, or memories of a beach break, there’s often somewhere else we’d rather be when responsibility and opportunity ask us to grow up and knuckle down”. Jon’s wake-up call came when he almost didn't get into his post-grad LLB. “I got through by the skin of my teeth with assistance from a professor and a senior lecturer”, remembers Jon.
I think people should do more soul searching while they're stretching themselves and make sure that they are focusing their efforts in the right areas
This brief brush with near failure, and no doubt the fresh realisation of how vital academic support is, helped to form who Jon is as a professional: a lawyer who lives to teach, help, support, and put in long hours for little reward or recognition – certainly not a stereotypical legal shark.
Redefining career paths
Throughout his articles, Jon worked toward his future in law, while remembering his past as a student. He felt a strong desire to give back. But how? “For me, it was quite obvious” says Jon. “I needed to use something which I've worked very hard on, and that’s writing”. Through Wits University and the Mandela Institute, Jon provided writing and legal literacy support to students in need. “After a long day's work, or even during my lunch break, I'd get on my laptop and I'll start reviewing assignments,” he says. Five years later, he still provides vital writing skills support to students and young professionals.
University of the Witwatersrand. Source: Peter Maher.
This drive speaks to his alter ego – a teacher and helper. “When [teaching and giving back] becomes part of your life, it becomes a lifestyle. It's no longer something that you even have to document or something that you care whether people know that you do” he says.
By pushing himself to invest in others, Jon gives his legal journey a personal sense of purpose that goes beyond the paycheck and clout. He doesn’t want to fall into the trap of following a well-worn career path without stopping to ask vital questions; how can I make this career my own? Do I really want to do it this way? Am I following the crowd or using my skills to forge my own professional identity?
“A lot of people stretch themselves brilliantly, but then it's 30, 35, 40, 50 years later, and they're unhappy”, says Jon. Only then do such individuals begin to question why they spent the past 25 years on a certain trajectory. “I think people should do more soul searching while they're stretching themselves and make sure that they are focusing their efforts in the right areas”, he advises.
In other words, don’t limit your professional identity to your job title. Like Jon, you can be so much more and leave a legacy that really matters. – Holly Charlton
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