For as long as I can remember, I’ve considered myself a tech geek. When I was 13 years old my father bought me a Commodore 64 and I’ve been hooked ever since.
My friend was a dealer for Cellular One, one of the first cell phone providers in New York City. In 1995 he gave me a free (!) Motorola MicroTac and let me share his dealer minutes. That meant I had unlimited use of a cell phone way back in February 1995. My wife (girlfriend at the time) thought I looked like a moron (I probably did) but I didn’t care. And when she went to Europe during the summer, she called me on the cell phone from Paris after a string of bombings to let me know she was alright. I was in my office at the time, getting ready to leave when the phone rang. Crystal clear sound, and the battery lasted the entire call. Even after all the phones I’ve had (and friends will tell you that for a long time I changed cell phones as often as most people change their socks), that MicroTac remains my favorite.
I opened my law practice in December 1995 and had an e-mail address on my business card (jfleisch@ix.netcom.com) – heck, nobody knew what the heck e-mail ever was back then, but I was convinced it would eventually become the way people communicated.
Then, in 1996, I was approached by an engineering firm with an offer for a free website. Would I just give a little talk about the Internet to some other lawyers in return for a free website? Well, considering the fact that sites were going for thousands of dollars at the time it was all I could do to keep from leaping through the telephone line and hugging the guy on the other end.
Then came high-speed, the holy grail of all that I sought. Finally I could surf to my heart’s content without drumming my fingers on the desk. Lord, it was a beautiful moment when DSL finally arrived in my world.
Don’t even talk to me about my beloved iPod. Simplicity in a handheld device, music and podcasts delivered to me anywhere and at any time. Oh, and the blogs. RSS. Skype. VOIP. Gosh, the world is a beautiful place.
But I confess that in spite of all of it, I am a poseur. A freak of nature, one who should be shunned as unworthy. For in spite of Chuck Newton’s statements to the contrary, I am not all that I appear to be.
Friends, I confess. I still have an office that is not in my home. Oh the shame, the utter shame of it all. Each morning (well, most of them) I put on a pair of pants and head to the subway. Once there, I swipe a MetroCard and spend 12 minutes going from my home to my office. It is a lovely place, high above the city and filled with law books. And though those books are not mine, I do have them in my general vicinity.
My office also contains a (gasp!) landline telephone courtesy of Verizon. Now make no mistake, I do use a VOIP PBX system to route calls to different places depending upon my location, but sitting on my desk is this hideous contraption left over from a bygone century.
Forgive me, for I have done a great wrong. I have besmirched the term “third wave lawyer.” But for me, it has been of necessity. You see, I am a New York City boy. I live in a two-bedroom apartment with my wife, our dog and, joining us soon, a child. 900 square feet is a good size by my standards, but certainly not nearly enough room for a full home office the likes of which Grant Griffiths would approve.
This is the albatross that hangs around my neck. This is the raven that taps on my chamber door, taunting me day and night. My scarlet letter. Oh, the shame!
So I do what I must. I go to the office each day, and come home each night. But as the impending birth of my child draws near I find myself growing ever-more wistful for a place closer to home. A location close to where I am, someplace that I can use to work in peace and perhaps bring along the baby or our dog. A good, quiet and small place that will not require a subway ride or clothing that will not scare away the clients of the lawyers with whom I currently share space.
Tomorrow I will embark upon two great experiments. First, I shall discontinue using my landline phone entirely for a period of four weeks. My calls will be routed to my cell phone or to Skype during that time, and at the end of the four week period I will shut down my landline.
Second, I will begin looking for a small space as close to home as possible. My intent is to treat that space as an extension of my home – a cheat, if you will. For my practice needs no formal office space, no fancy reception area, no lofty views or arcane library. I will keep you all posted on my progress, and hope that you wish me luck in my endeavor.
For those of you who know of a room or studio apartment in Brooklyn (zip code 11217 or 11238), please let me know by e-mail or by posting a comment. And of course, please spread the word to everyone you know. Bottom floor of a brownstone is fine, side entrance to someone’s house leading down to an unused basement works just fine as well.
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