And... Just like That

Essays on a Life Before, During and After the Law

Forty-one years of a life in the law, and then, one day, no more law. Just like that.

Many people spend their lives exploring ways to leave their current employment. Did I always want to be an attorney? Once I became an attorney, was I satisfied with the law firm life? Heavens, no!

With humor and self-deprecation, poignancy and bite, this audiobook presents observations on my life before the law, my forty-one years in the law, and my life after I left. If you are considering a career pivot, you will find that these essays are both funny and on point; and you will experience a sense of community—you are not alone.

If you’re a law student or an attorney, if you know an attorney, if you live with an attorney, if you are friends with an attorney, if you are curious about attorneys, and if you hire attorneys, you will find this audiobook an entertaining story of how one attorney finally dreamed his way into his law afterlife.

©2020 Mark Shaiken (P)2025 Mark Shaiken

Reflecting on a 30 year career in law

After more than 30 years practicing law, author Mark Shaiken finally steps away. Reflecting on his career, gracing the pages of “And…Just Like That” is humor, knowledge, insight, and his own brand of survival. From PITs, PICs, and PRICs to interviews, secretaries, and the need for a dog, Shaiken shares all in his debut collection of essays.

Beginning with a hilarious FAQ, “And…Just Like That” takes readers from life before the law, law school, working in the industry, and finally the afterlife. Detailing wild stories from his own journey to law after unsuccessfully driving a forklift, to eventually taking the bar exam, many times, Shaiken has embraced his former career as he drives forward into his new chapter as an author. Included in this collection are his stint as an associate, in the cursed window office, to a midlife crisis, and the fragile balancing act of it all.

“And…Just Like That” is a brilliant collection of essays. Penned successfully by someone that has survived 30 years in law and emerged from the other side hilariously scathed. Through trial and error, moves and bar exams, teaching and music, Shaiken shares with readers the various exhibits of his life. Compiled before, during, and after, life behind the law desk, with a clean-shaven face and buttoned up attire, “And…Just Like That” is an enjoyable foray through Shaiken’s impressive career and life.

Told like the new friend Shaiken becomes after this intimate foray into his life, “And…Just Like That” is a whirlwind of reflection, the law profession, and self-deprecation.