Social Cliques Survive at ‘Bigshot & Snooty'—and Maybe at Your Law Firm
The social cliques you hated in law school still persist, and may be at your law firm.
Being attractive and physically fit is a plus at law firms, just as it was in high school, Andrews Kurth partner Kathleen Wu writes in a column for Texas Lawyer. “Jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, bullies and drama geeks—firms have them all. They just wear nicer clothes now,” she says.
Wu illustrates with a tour of a fictional law firm called Bigshot & Snooty, as seen through the eyes of Newby Associate.
“The popular kids have a knack for finding each other,” Wu writes. “They’re the ones who do Starbucks runs together, hang out after work and take cool group vacations. They somehow find the time to lunch together every day, regardless of how much work they have. Instead of lording over the school cafeteria, though, the popular kids at Bigshot & Snooty take over trendy restaurants.”
Wu ends the article with a hopeful conclusion. Being in the right clique and wearing the right clothes doesn’t mean much, she writes, if your work can’t stand on its own. “So Newby can rest easy in the knowledge that her obsessive attention to detail and maniacal work ethic may not have won her many dates in high school, but they’re a potent recipe for success at Bigshot & Snooty.”
