Who says lawyers are just a bunch of dweebs without a stitch of creativity? Inside many a lawyer beats the heart of a frustrated rock singer or a novelist. Some even have the guts to perform in public or write a novel. Being a former lawyer myself, I have a soft spot for lawyers who go off-course. Here's the latest crop of lawyers who have found their inner artist:

Call Allen Matkins, Maybe. You know the hit song "Call Me Maybe," right? Of course you do (if you don't, you are truly out of it). The California firm just spoofed it in a video where the firm's lawyers pine away for an elusive client. I'm not sure that Allen Matkins's lawyers (over 40 of them perform in the video) should quit their day jobs anytime soon (let's just say that Bristol Palin could give them some dance pointers), but it's still rather endearing. Check it out:

Why the client development theme in the spoof? The firm's managing partner David Osias says it was not based on a "real rigorous analysis." He says the aspirational phrase “call me maybe” is just as applicable to "lusting" after a romantic object as it is to a potential new client. In both cases, you're "hoping that they would hire you, or at least "call me maybe,” says Osias. “We work hard, have fun, don’t take ourselves too seriously, and if we can help you, call me maybe.” 

I don't know how they do it. I'm always amazed by the number of lawyers (some who are still practicing) who manage to churn out a novel. Most of these novels—for better or worse—are about lawyers, and many seem vaguely John Grisham-esque. Here are some recent ones:

1. Godsent by Richard Burton, an in-house attorney with Landmark Management Group in Plano, Texas. (He also practiced at Bickel & Brewer.) TexParte Blog says it's a "thriller about the Son of God coming to earth in the modern time." Okay.

2. Anonymous Lawyer by Jeremy Blachman. (About life in a big firm.) 

3. Guilt by Association and Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark (yes, that Marcia Clark).

4. Terminal Ambition by Kate McGuinness, a former partner at an Am Law 100 firm and GC of a Fortune 500 company. It's about Big Law and politics. Susan Estrich and Steven Harper liked it.

5.  Attorney-Client Privilege by Pamela Samuels Young, a former O'Melveny & Myers associate and in-house counsel at several companies.

6. The Floater  by Sheryl Sorrentino, a solo practioner.

Just reading that list makes me exhausted. Hats off to them for making the effort, though I'm not sure we should be encouraging the habit.

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