Life Beyond the Law
"All That Jazz"
by Lisa S. Frey

Joy Chambers is an Alexandria attorney that specializes in elder law, wills, estates and trusts, and tax planning. In addition to her Juris Doctor degree from George Washington Law School, Joy has had much training in psychiatry t the medical schools of Harvard and George Washington University. She currently teaches "Law & Psychiatry" at G.W. Law School, as well as lectures doctors and lawyers nationwide on legal-psychiatric issues.

There's a line in Sunday in the Park with George that states "What do you do when you have outgrown what you can do?" Many would say you broaden your horizon. You "jazz up" your life a little bit. Well that's exactly what Bar member Joy Chambers did. She has carved out some time in her busy life as an attorney to become a jazz photographer.

Joy has always loved the soulful music of jazz and wanted to be more than just a spectator. She was intrigued by the music's "creative process and its images." Since she didn't think she could master an instrument of music (as she state, "I have no mechanical aptitude"), she decided to capture the creativity, the passion and the marvelous images of jazz on film.

For the past four year, Joy has pursued her passion and has found herself at many jazz clubs throughout the country. Because of her respect for the music and admiration for the artists, she is often allowed to stand on stage to photograph and musicians. This is quite a vote of confidence for Joy, since it's only the professional photographers that are allowed to be that close to the action. Joy does not desire to be a professional, published photographer, she simply does it for her own growth and benefit. She has learned that being a success is not measured in money, or adulation, but in personal reward and spiritual growth.

Part of the reward for Joy is getting to know the musicians, getting to know the soul behind such soulful music. She considers it an honor to bear witness to what she describes as "active, pure creation," for the music is "improvised" and recreated each time it is played. Because jazz is music of such great depth, meaning and feeling, cords and notes are always changing. And just as human emotion runs deep and is not always predictable, so is the emotion of jazz. And of course, all of this ties in beautifully with Joy's photography, for she is taking "pictures of the mind at work." She captures what the artist was thinking and feeling while creating.

Joy has not necessarily "out-grown" lawyering, she just realized that there is plenty of room and, yes, time to explore a life beyond the law. She stated that the "law is not the jealous mistress that I used to think it was." She has learned that she doesn't have to be "totally immersed in the law," nor consumed by it, in order to be successful.