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Yesterday, I interviewed with the head of the corporate department at a highly respected, large regional law firm. The interview went well and the partner wants me to return for further interviews with other members of the corporate department, which is great. Maybe.

The partner emphasized several times during the interview that the firm is known in Denver as being an intense place with much more of an East Coast mentality and work ethic than other firms in the area. Deals are staffed leanly (usually just one partner and one associate), there's a minimum billable hour requirement of 1900 hours, and attorneys are expected to be "entrepreneurial" (read: aggressive).

The more I heard, the more my heart sank. I thought I had escaped that kind of ethos years ago when I left my law firm in New York City. I thought Denver was supposed to be more of a lifestyle city. I don't mind long-ish hours and hard work at all, but I do like predictability and consistency--I'm done with all-nighters and being on call 24/7. Plus, it seems highly unlikely that I'd be allowed to take a week off in March/April to visit J in Germany after his deployment ends. How can I not go see him after six months of separation? On the other hand, I'd be stupid to turn down the job if they offered it to me...right?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. As with all law firms, I'm facing the usual skepticism about my lack of traditional law firm experience. Personality and credential-wise, I'm a good fit for this firm and the firm's personnel have already expressed that sentiment. But they're looking for someone who has had a few years of transactional work under his or her belt; whether or not they're willing to take a chance on me remains to be seen.

I suppose if it's meant to be, it'll happen. And if not, then it's not the worst thing in the world either. Life has a funny way of always working out for the best.