‘7 Secrets’ to Help Lawyers Thrive in a Recession #ABAChicago

Reality
Aug 2, 2009 11:36 AM CST

Here’s the real list of how to survive in this economy:

1.  Go to an Ivy undergraduate college, preferably one of the good ones (ie. not Brown or Cornell).  If you want to live on the edge, MIT, CIT and Stanford, and possibly Williams or Amherst may be acceptable.  Everything else is a non-starter.

2.  Degree in the hard sciences, math, or engineering; be summa cum laude.  If time allows, become fluent in Mandarin, Arabic, and Russian.

3.  Go to a Top 14, preferably Top 3, law school.

4. Be on the law review and graduate in the top 3% of your class.

5. Be from a wealthy family, so you don’t have to take out a quarter million dollars in student loans to pay for seven years of college.

6. Graduate from law school with ten years’ experience practicing law.

7. Be willing to bill at least 2500 hours a year for the rest of your life.

Anything else is a one-way ticket to the unemployment line or an unpaid internship with Jim Sokolove, if you’re lucky.

- top NESCAC undergrad, strong Tier 2 Law School, unemployed since graduation in 05/2007.

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Brian J. Weig
Aug 7, 2009 8:39 AM CST

Dear Reality:

Wow.  A positive attitude will go a long way in securing a position.  Maybe your expectations need to be adjusted.  You need to get rid of that chip on your shoulder, polish your resume, learn some good interviewing skills and get out there.  Even in this economy, people are finding jobs.  It may not be the job of your dreams, but you will find that each experience provides a stepping stone for the next.  You can take that from a Tier 3 school graduate, without stellar grades or law review, who has been steadily employed since graduation with minimal student loan debt.  If you want to be a lawyer, it can be done with a little perserverence.

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#6
Aug 7, 2009 9:04 AM CST

I started law school because my poli sci degree from a top 10 undergrad school left me unemployed, playing Halo multiplayer for 8 hours a day.  At least I feel better about myself when asked by people at social gatherings what I’ve been up to.  They are all impressed and some even jealous that I’m in law school and they are selling phones for Verizon.

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understanding "Really"
Aug 7, 2009 11:44 AM CST

I went to a 4 tier because I really did not know any better.  Gradutated at the bottom of class because
1. I had 4 children and was working full-time in a factory.
2. Because every lawyer I meet encouraged me not worry about grades or debt, just pass the bar.
I did pass the bar.  Initially I could not find or job or even get an interview (2004) I decided to keep the factory job until all 4 children were in college, The school job counselor was honest enuogh to tell me that decsion would destroy my legal career because its going to look like I did not want to practice law.I wish they(the whole law school system) were that honest $100,000.00 ago, I could have made better choices. I did get a couple of interviews for about 15.00 hour pay.

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Reality
Aug 7, 2009 12:29 PM CST

#7, Cornell and Brown are the lowest ranked Ivies on USNWR.  Being 7th of 8, I think, precludes it from being a good Ivy.  Also, my undergrad is higher ranked than Cornell, so feel free to wash my car.

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Sarah
Aug 7, 2009 1:53 PM CST

Reality - I have to say, I got a pretty good laugh. 
Some people start off in a non-legal position with a good company or with the federal or state government, and then when there’s an opening in legal, transition in from there.  I’d suggest targeting a place where you would like to work and trying that route.

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Sarah
Aug 7, 2009 3:04 PM CST

Absolutely.  I see a lot of comments on these (ABA) articles that imply that there’s only 1 way to have a successful law career - top tier, top 10, silk stocking.  I’ve said this in a comment before, but I think it’s important - you shut out a lot of opportunity by focusing on that road.

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practicehacker
Aug 8, 2009 11:34 AM CST

Bytes (comment #15) - in answer to your question (“Where can I get a paying gig writing about stuff like this?”) the answer is obviously the ABA. Put in your application now!

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Alleline
Aug 13, 2009 2:49 PM CST

I like B. McLeod’s list, but items 1-5 apply to the more seasoned lawyer who already has a practice of some sort.  For the newly minted attorney, I suggest four additional rules:

1.  Law is a scholarly profession. There actually is a body of knowledge to master. You master it by spending a lot of unpaid time in the library. 

2. Most cases are decided by their facts.  Learn to enjoy listening to people and spend a lot of time on witness interviews.

2. Integrity counts more than anything else.  Integrity is different than not telling a lie.  Abraham Lincoln is not called “Honest Abe” because he walked ten miles to return a half-penny.  It’s because he wrestled in his soul with what he really believed about slavery and then stuck with his conclusions no matter who he was talking to.  Similarly, if you merely mouth your client’s position you will gain no reputation for integrity.  If you learn to dwell on the facts of your case and wrestle with them and consider how the law applies to them until you have mastered a consistent view of the case that you can present without flinching to a judge, opposing counsel and client, then you will gain a reputation for integrity.  (It can be done, even with a “bad” case.)

3. Business usually comes to you, at first, in the form of referrals from other attorneys, not least often from an opposing counsel whom you impresed with your knowledge and integrity.

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