CHANGE OF LIFE

                                          THE NIGHT THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

                     IN 1980,  I GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL AND THOUGHT I'D BE A LAWYER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. AFTER ALL, THAT'S WHAT I'D WANTED TO DO SINCE MY EARLY TEENAGE YEARS.

                      AT FIRST, EVERYTHING WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN. AFTER LOTS OF STUDYING THAT SUMMER, I PASSED THE BAR EXAMINATION AND WAS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE LAW IN NEW YORK. MY PERSONAL LIFE WAS ALSO ON THE UPSWING. IN EARLY 1981, I MARRIED DOLORES, LAW SCHOOL CLASSMATE, I WAS ON MY WAY TO MUCH SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS.

                     OR SO I THOUGHT.

                      BUT, AFTER PRACTICING LAW FOR A FEW YEARS, I REALIZED I WASN'T HAPPY AT ALL. 

                    SURE, THERE WERE SOME THINGS I LIKED ABOUT BEING A LAWYER. ENJOYED HELPING PEOPLE RESOLVE THEIR DISPUTED, ESPECIALLY WHEN I COULD SAVE THEM THE AGONY OF LENGTHY COURT PROCEEDINGS.

                    YET, THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS ABOUT BEING AN ATTORNEY THAT I DISLIKE AND THAT JUST SEEMED TO DRAIN THE LIFE OUT OF ME. MOUNTS AND MOUNTS OF TEDIOUS PAPERWORK AND MOTIONS TO BE FILED.

                     CONSTANT DELAYS AND POSTPONEMENTS. IT WAS NOT ONCOMMON FOR A TRIAL TO BE POSTPONED 10 TIMES..