Job Responsibilities
I am one of the nine founding partners of a mid-size law firm
(25 lawyers). We are a civil litigation boutique firm. My
personal areas of expertise are insurance coverage, e-commerce
and internet law, alternative dispute resolution, appellate
practice, and toxic tort litigation.
I write all coverage opinions and handle most of the coverage
litigation in the State of Ohio for a large regional insurance
carrier that does business in 11 states and the District of
Columbia. I handle many or most of the appeals filed by the
mebers of my firm.
In the practice of law, it is difficult to predict how one's
time will be spent from day to day. It is a VERY high pressure
job, and tasks of are handled in what is essentially a crisis
management order. The job with the shortest and most critica
deadline will be handled first.
Having said that, it is nevertheless possible to say that over
the course of a year, about 80% of my time is spent on insurance
coverage matters (which is the main reason I decided to get an
LLM in Insurance Law). I also hold an appointment as an adjunct
professor teaching Insurance Law at the law school in the city
where I work.
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Job Requirements
To get into the practice of law, both a law degree and a license
to practice (issued by the highest court in your jurisdiction)
are required. For most jobs, neither the particular law school
that you attended or your exact GPA are paramount. The
exceptions would be clerking in federal courts or getting an
offer from one of the silk-stocking mega-firms. They hire only
the top academic performers from the very best schools.
But most firms are really looking for the "total package." This
includes reasonable intelligence, the ability to express
yourself clearly in the spoken and written word, and evidence of
a strong work ethic. You might be surprised just how hard it is
to find people with this combination.
It is a good idea for a young lawyer to begin their career in a
midsize to large law firm if possible, because they provide the
best training. A lot of malpractice is committed by young
lawyers who don't know what they are doing and who have no one
else to turn to.
Some firms (like mine) principally make lateral hires. We leave
the care and feeding of young lawyers to others. We hire them
away after they have reached a point where they no longer have
to be spoon fed.
Plan on spending eight to ten years in practice before making
partner. This period may be somewhat shorter in very small
firms.
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Uppers
The best part about the practice of law is the constant variety of fact patters
and the opportunities for learning. For almost each case, you will have to
learn
something about medicine, architecture, commercial practices, or other aspects
of
the case that you must be conversant with.
Based on my 16 years of experience in a 150+ lawyer firm and seven years in a
smaller firm, I believe that the lawyers in smaller firms tend to be much more
collegial than they are in larger firms. You have the opportunity to work with
people who genuinely become your friends as well as being professional
colleagues.
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Downers
The major downsides are the incredibly long hours and the
incredibly high stress. In this line of work, you are going to
cancel at least one major vacation (and probably more than that)
because of a client's emergency. Don't bitch about it when it
happens; we've all been there. It's part of the legal landscape.
You are also going to miss some of your childrens' events like
baseball games, school plays, etc. There is a reason why good
lawyers get paid so much. If we didn't, there would be
absolutely no reason to put yourself in this kind of a job where
health problems (both physical and mental) are ubiquitous. High
blood pressure and ulcers are the norm, not the exception.
Finally, you are going to be checking your email and voicemail
and taking calls on your cell phone almost 24/7. This is NOT a
job that you can just walk away from at 5:00. Or 6:00. Or
7:00. If you are a clockwatcher, or if having a lot of free
time is extremely important to you, consider another line of
work.
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Lifestyle
First of all, NEVER take a job because of the money. That is
the way to perdition.
Second, if you want to know what the practice of law is really
like, you really should talk to as many lawyers as possible.
The first question out of your mouth should be if they would
become a lawyer if they were 18 again.
Third, you should do some serious reading about the incredible
stress and burnout levels in this profession, and the reasons
for them. A few excellent examples that I give to my students
include:
Patrick Schlitz, On Being A Happy, Healthy, and Ethical Member
of an Unhappy, Unhealthy, and Unethical Profession, 52 Vand. L.
Rev. 871 (May 1999)
Bill Ibelle, Positive Psychology and the Law: Why Lawyers Are So
Dissatisfied (July 18, 2005), Lawyers Weekly, , 2005 LWUSA 422
Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness
Mary Jane Trapp, Mental Health in the Legal Profession, Ohio
Lawyer (May/June 2002)
Pamela Blass Braher, Seven Habits to Achieve Balance, For the
Defense (January 2004)
Rob Sherman & Phil Sorentino, When Loving the Law Isn't Enough,
Ohio Lawyer (July/August 1999)
J.P. Finet, E-Mail Poll: Law Practice Hazardous to Your Health
(March 11, 2002), 5 Ohio Lawyers Weekly 129
W.S. Ricks, I Quit!, The National Jurist (November 2005)
Finally, the snide remarks and jokes about lawyers you enjoy so
much now are someday really going to start pissing you off.
When you have worked 70 hours a week for 20+ years and some jerk
rags on you about how you are probably golfing every afternoon,
it will require considerable restraint on your part to refrain
from punching his lights out. This aspect of the practice was
best summarized by Andrew McClurg in his book titled The Law
School Trip (2001), wherein he aptly states that:
Being a lawyer is tough, and I'm not just talking about the high
stress and long hours. It's a challenge simply surviving day to
day in a world where sizable groups of people purport to 'hate
lawyers.' True story: I recently went on a canoeing trip with a
group of law professors. The woman at the canoe rental place
asked what I did and I said, 'Law professor.' Without
hesitating, she said 'I hate lawyers.' Without hesitating, I
replied 'I hate people who rent canoes.' She was shocked and
appalled that I would say something so rude.
* * *
If it hurts your feelings when people treat you like fecal
matter, do not become a lawyer. You are entering the only
profession where strangers feel free, compelled even, to insult
you to your face. Be prepared for every person you meet to tell
you offensive jokes and explain how much they detest your
lifelong pursuit.
No other workers in America get such rude treatment, certainly
not to their face. People don't make fun of accountants for
having the most boring job in the world, berate store clerks for
being losers, or kid doctors about malpractice suits. But upon
meeting a lawyer every trace of etiquette and common courtesy
vanishes.
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Compensation
In general, the public thinks that lawyers are paid much more
than they generally are. This is especially true in the first
decade of a new lawyer's practice.
Despite that, without getting into specifics, I have to admit
that I make more money than I ever dreamed possible.
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Advice to Jobseekers
First of all, NEVER take a job because of the money. That is
the way to perdition.
Second, if you want to know what the practice of law is really
like, you really should talk to as many lawyers as possible.
The first question out of your mouth should be if they would
become a lawyer if they were 18 again.
Third, you should do some serious reading about the incredible
stress and burnout levels in this profession, and the reasons
for them. A few excellent examples that I give to my students
include:
Patrick Schlitz, On Being A Happy, Healthy, and Ethical Member
of an Unhappy, Unhealthy, and Unethical Profession, 52 Vand. L.
Rev. 871 (May 1999)
Bill Ibelle, Positive Psychology and the Law: Why Lawyers Are So
Dissatisfied (July 18, 2005), Lawyers Weekly, , 2005 LWUSA 422
Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness
Mary Jane Trapp, Mental Health in the Legal Profession, Ohio
Lawyer (May/June 2002)
Pamela Blass Braher, Seven Habits to Achieve Balance, For the
Defense (January 2004)
Rob Sherman & Phil Sorentino, When Loving the Law Isn??t Enough,
Ohio Lawyer (July/August 1999)
J.P. Finet, E-Mail Poll: Law Practice Hazardous to Your Health
(March 11, 2002), 5 Ohio Lawyers Weekly 129
W.S. Ricks, I Quit!, The National Jurist (November 2005)
Finally, the snide remarks and jokes about lawyers you enjoy so
much now are someday really going to start pissing you off.
When you have worked 70 hours a week for 20+ years and some jerk
rags on you about how you are probably golfing every afternoon,
it will require considerable restraint on your part to refrain
from punching his lights out. This aspect of the practice was
best summarized by Andrew McClurg in his book titled The Law
School Trip (2001), wherein he aptly states that:
Being a lawyer is tough, and I'm not just talking about the high
stress and long hours. It's a challenge simply surviving day to
day in a world where sizable groups of people purport to 'hate
lawyers.' True story: I recently went on a canoeing trip with a
group of law professors. The woman at the canoe rental place
asked what I did and I said, 'Law professor.' Without
hesitating, she said 'I hate lawyers.' Without hesitating, I
replied 'I hate people who rent canoes.' She was shocked and
appalled that I would say something so rude.
* * *
If it hurts your feelings when people treat you like fecal
matter, do not become a lawyer. You are entering the only
profession where strangers feel free, compelled even, to insult
you to your face. Be prepared for every person you meet to tell
you offensive jokes and explain how much they detest your
lifelong pursuit.
No other workers in America get such rude treatment, certainly
not to their face. People don't make fun of accountants for
having the most boring job in the world, berate store clerks for
being losers, or kid doctors about malpractice suits. But upon
meeting a lawyer every trace of etiquette and common courtesy
vanishes.
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