The fact is, as I'm sure you're all aware, that where you went to law school, what clerkships you held (or didn't hold), and whether you worked BigLaw matters to a ton of folks even after decades of experience. And I'm not saying it necessarily shouldn't. I don't 2/

think anyone is saying that. Most of us know that it when it comes to a lot of things it wouldn't matter if we became the greatest writer, litigator, whatever, attorney in the country in terms of skill. The simple fact that we didn't go to a T14 or work for the right 3/

places is an automatic disqualifier. We also know that if we file a cert petition by ourselves, it will get ignored. We know that things like federal judgeships are out of the question, so on and so forth, yada yada yada. And I think most of us are basically fine with that. 4/

It sucks, but what's the point of whining about it everyday or constantly thinking about it? It used to really get under my skin but as I've gotten older it's just kind of part of the gig. I have a job I love that provides me insane flexibility I wouldn't trade for 5/

anything. I work with my best friends and we make good $$$. I don't have anything to complain about, really. But, at the same time, it doesn't feel good to have the unspoken "the little people aren't good enough" hurled into your face at breakneck speed. I'm aware 6/

of the arbitrary barriers my background has put in my way. This is to say nothing of the women and brown attorneys who have a similar background to me, they get a double and triple dose of "probably not good enough." So when someone writes something that reads, as written, 7/

like "these people can't possibly be as good as me, look at where they're from"? Yeah. That's going to rub a whole lot of us the wrong way. I accept that OP (who I am not naming because RIP his mentions already) just poorly worded the tweets. And, FWIW, I like the dude 8/

based on the interactions we've had. But it's very unfair to look at the people who responded to that tweet with "fuck you, buddy" as though we're just overly sensitive. /e

@K_NoiseWaterMD @NotAnyUse I thought her response was perfect

@K_NoiseWaterMD @NotAnyUse Bravo. Am I okay that a section of the practice of law is closed off to me? No. I made choices for my child. I knew making those choices that would foreclose some of these opportunities. But that doesn’t make me less of a lawyer, which is what his tweet seems to imply.

@K_NoiseWaterMD @NotAnyUse Some of the very worst lawyers I have ever seen are big law associates. Most of them aren't worth a shit until their 3rd year or so. I'd stack up a 3rd year solo against a 3rd yr. big law any day.

@K_NoiseWaterMD @NotAnyUse I don’t think I know anyone who has been lawyering for any length of time who hasn’t tangled with whatever their local equivalent of a “big firm” is and been left wildly unimpressed. It’s a fun little treat that new lawyers get to experience.