Attorney in Small Law Firm
Participation in school debate teams and moot court forecast an enjoyable legal career in the courtroom as part of a small firm where solo responsibilities could be earned early.
FAMILY BACKGROUND AND CAREER INFLUENCE
LG was the youngest of three children. Her father was an investment banker. Her mother was a homemaker who served many years on the volunteer Board of the local SPCA. LG’s parents provided a loving home with their steady demonstration of dedicated work ethics.
CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF A FUTURE CAREER
LG’s earliest thought of an adult career was to be a neurosurgeon. Why? Because operating on the brain was certain to be a big learning and skill challenge. However, LG realized early on that she enjoyed reading, writing and learning foreign languages more than science. Her public elementary school provided the opportunity to learn a different language as early as the fifth grade so LG chose German, more toward eventually serving as an interpreter at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, than as a future teacher.
HIGH SCHOOL DAYS
The same public school district which provided foreign language courses within its elementary schools also offered multiple high school art classes with grades counting the equivalent of traditional academic classes for a student’s GPA. LG enjoyed various aspects of creating art through painting and sculpture. However, she heeded her father’s advice: “You’ll never make a living as an artist!” so she was also a dedicated all-around student.
Looking back on her high school days, LG sees a balance between being a good student while maintaining an independent spirit. Her friends were similarly respectful of authority but just before high school graduation, LG and several friends, all of whom were considered to be “Girl Scouts” (i.e. never behavior problems) were caught (!) by a teacher as they were cutting class (!) to head across the street toward a lunch deli. The teacher’s reaction: “Way to go, girls!”
COLLEGE CHOICE AND COURSES RELEVANT TO A CAREER CHOICE
LG’s criteria to select her college enrollment were: (1) far from home so she could experience living in a different geographic area; (2) strong foreign language program; and (3) cold weather to enable skiing near school. But despite her strong high school GPA (a declined applicant rarely knows the reason(s) for rejection), LG was not admitted to her first choice but was accepted at her second choice, which also met each of LG’s three college enrollment requirements.
Maintaining her focus on developing proficiency in foreign languages, LG majored in German and minored in Italian. She was not then interested in pursuing science related courses but looking back, wishes she had because science can be both mentally challenging and interesting to know. LG took one required computer class and did well enough to be able to opt out of a requirement to take a wide variety of liberal arts courses (a strange option, since abandoned, for a liberal arts school.)
In addition to studying languages, LG chose to be active as a performer: on stage as an actor and within moot court (arguing to “pretend” judges the application of fictional facts and basic law) and as a member of debate teams. A professor involved in her theater productions advised LG to consider law school. She was intrigued by the possibility of presenting legal arguments as a career so on a parents’ visitation weekend during her senior year, LG devoted a few hours to taking the LSAT (Law School Aptitude Test).
APTITUDE TEST PREDICTED ACADEMIC, NOT CAREER SUCCESS
LG’s LSAT score was less than what she hoped for (as mostly an A student through high school and college) so she tailored her law school applications to schools whose published LSAT range requirements would seem to fit her score. Apparently she chose well since she was accepted by all four law schools to which she applied.
LAW SCHOOL – A DIFFERENT WAY TO LEARN
First year grades for LG at law school were “middle of the pack” including a D and a C! Each were entirely new academic results for LG but it didn’t mean that she was unlikely to graduate or be a successful lawyer. It only meant that LG needed to patiently persist to learn a new way of thinking and drafting exam answers.
Editor’s note: It is widely acknowledged by virtually all law students that the first year is the most difficult because most law professors teach through the “Socratic Method” which is essentially the professor asking question after question instead of just lecturing. Questions are sometimes directed continuously at the same student or students are singled out randomly for one question each. Those who have not read the assigned court decisions and tried to understand the legal issues will likely be embarrassed and humiliated!
Learning is supposed to occur by virtue of the law student reading appeal court decisions to determine (1) the relevant facts (2) the judge’s decision and (3) the judge’s legal reasoning for applying the law to the facts.
The reason the Socratic method is used is to prepare law students to deal with future clients who will often describe their problem(s) in a disorganized way. Thus the lawyer will need to organize the important facts, including ones which the client may have omitted, either on purpose or were overlooked. Then the lawyer must consider what laws apply to the significant facts in order to properly advise the client.
Mediocre law school grades were never the goal or expectation of LG but she was not discouraged, only challenged so she persisted through the Socratic Method learning process and moved on to excel in her second and final third year courses, where law students have more options than the first year requirements. LG eventually realized that to succeed in drafting answers to law school exam questions, she needed to organize the important facts and then weave them into her written analysis of how the law would resolve the factual situation.
LG enjoyed courses involving legal writing and also participating in moot court, which was consistent with her experience as a college student within debate teams and moot court activities. LG’s law school GPA improved and she earned her diploma as a Juris Doctor graduate.
Editor’s note: Even the student who graduates with the lowest GPA among his or her law school classmates has, by definition, graduated, which qualifies the law student to take the Bar Examination for the state(s) in which the lawyer hopes to be licensed to practice law. The better the GPA and class rank, the more opportunities for employment as a rookie lawyer.
LAW CAREER OPTIONS
LG was aware of many different ways to succeed as a lawyer. Among dozens (if not hundreds) of examples: Some prefer to deal with technical issues such as taxes or government regulations. Some prefer to provide advice to clients involved in divorce and child custody issues. Some prefer to be in the courtroom, prosecuting or defending criminal cases or personal injury claims. (Editor’s note – see separate category within these Career Stories: “Lawyers – What Do They Do?”)
Among law practice options likely available and her interests, LG considered two possibilities: A. Attorney within the Army’s JAG Corps (Judge Advocate General). She liked the idea of serving her country while having the early opportunity to represent soldiers in court; or B. Joining a relatively small (under 25 lawyers) suburban firm with an early opportunity to get involved in courtroom legal work.
The downside of joining the JAG Corps was frequent transfer of locations around the country and across the world. At the time, LG was involved in a personal relationship which ultimately led to marriage so she thought the military service option was not well suited for her lifestyle going forward.
FIRST LAWYER JOB FOCUS NEVER A BINDING CAREER PATH
LG was offered the opportunity to enter the Army as a Legal Officer but for the reason noted, she declined and pursued interviews with several suburban law firms. During one meeting with two of the six law firm partners, LG was hired with the promise that she would soon have the opportunity to represent clients in court, though the legal issues potentially involved were likely to be broad, ranging from domestic relations to traffic accidents. A senior partner kept asking whether she had passed the Bar Exam yet and as soon as she received that news of success, she was immediately assigned to represent a client in a minor traffic accident claim.
LG had brief experience working with family law clients but realized she was not interested in daily dealings with the sadness of most divorce and child custody issues. Fortunately there was another mentor’s need to defend claims involving personal injuries allegedly due to exposure to chemicals and other toxins such as asbestos and benzene.
Editor’s note – Working with clients is the essential focus of law school education and the early years of any lawyer’s career. But obtaining the clients to work with is an essential part of the business. In relatively small law firms, beginning lawyers are often involved early on with client development, such as meetings with current and prospective clients to present the law firm’s experience (and reasonable charges) relevant to the client’s perceived needs.
LG’s personality from having participated in debates and moot court was noted by senior law firm partners as likely consistent with engaging in presentations to prospective, business savvy clients. Over the course of several years’ traveling to meet clients, LG learned the importance of using visual aids and earned respect within the firm’s marketing efforts since as she gained courtroom experience, she could speak more confidently about the applicable law and how the client could be successful in court.
CAREER CHALLENGE – UPHEAVEL AMONG MANAGEMENT
All was well among the law firm partners – until it wasn’t. Often associate (non-partner) attorneys and administrative staff are the last to know about serious disagreements among owners / managers of a business, which was the situation for LG, who eventually learned that the main focus of the internal partnership problem (not caused by any of the employees such as LG) involved a typical law partners’ dispute subject: dividing the business’ net profits. From what LG knew of the facts and issues involved, her mentor was being unfairly treated but LG had no voice in the matter so she could only tend to her client work and hope for a peaceful resolution, which was not to be, as the disagreements among the partners led to several departing and the dissolution of the law firm.
The stress of the situation was palpable among the associate attorneys and the staff, especially when LG was asked by one partner to take over her mentor’s business if he departed, voluntarily or involuntarily. The stress caused LG to wonder whether she should step away from the practice of law, at least temporarily, in order to prioritize her family relationships, which had always been tugging at her conscience.
Attempting an interim decision, LG tried to work part-time but this is always difficult for attorneys whose clients need regular attention. And LG felt guilty directing lawyers she was supervising, who were continuing to work full time, to take over the client workload she was unable to complete while working less than full time. So LG announced that she was “taking a sabbatical” from the firm, which fortunately she could afford since her husband’s full time employment was sufficient to support the family, at least for awhile and perhaps forever.
LG remained offically unemployed for several months but all the while, continued to engage in a hobby which might turn into a new job and perhaps a new career. To follow LG’s second career path, see her story at “GARDNER / HORTICULTURIST”
CAREER SATISFACTION AS A LAWYER IN A SMALL LAW FIRM
A lawyer within a relatively small firm has early opportunities to work closely with the most senior, experienced attorneys and soon consult with and represent clients in court, without supervision.
Before storm clouds among the law firm’s partners were known to her, LG enjoyed all aspects of her law practice: learning from supportive mentors, meeting with prospective clients, camaraderie with staff and especially persuasive legal writing and real life (no longer “moot”) court drama, including preparing and cross examining witnesses and presenting legal arguments to judges and juries.
