This is an as-told-essay based on a conversation with Paul Farahvar, a touring stand-up comedian based in Chicago who previously worked as a trial lawyer. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
Right out of law school, I started practicing at an insurance defense law firm. I had won a case in the Illinois Supreme Court when I was only 25, which then led to places trying to recruit me.
I went to a firm that allowed me to work part-time, because I was also playing in and managing bands and doing entertainment law on the side. Eventually, one of my partners and I split off and started our own law firm.
Comedy came into the picture by accident. It was never on my radar when I was younger. My friend was a stand-up comedian, and he asked me to go with him when he was opening for Bob Saget. I was backstage and made a joke that got Bob Saget laughing. He said I should use the joke onstage, but I told him I wasn't performing and that I'd never done stand-up in my life.
His encouragement gave me the confidence to go to an open mic the next day. I won the contest, and that changed my life. I ended up hosting that open mic and then became a host at The Laugh Factory in Chicago. Now...