Job Responsibilities
I am responsible for managing commercial litigation cases that
vary in subject from real estate disputes to disputes involving
ownership of securities. I supervise junior attorneys, attend
hearings, draft substantive motions, take depositions, and
participate in mediations, arbitrations, evidentiary hearings
and trials. It is not possible to break down how much of my day
is spent on each task, because each day is different, depending
on how fast a particular case is advancing, whether there is an
upcoming hearing or deposition, and whether we are dealing with
an emergency motion.
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Job Requirements
Working at my firm is very academic, in that we place a high
priority on one's written work product. Research and writing
are skills that are valued and skills that we work on developing
or honing in our junior associates. We also place a high value
on one's ability to verbally communicate the results of research
or preparation. Therefore, we also work on developing our
verbal skills. In terms of preparing for such a position, I
would recommend taking as many writing intensive classes and
speech/communication classes as possible.
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Uppers
Winning! Seriously, it is always a plus when a judge rules in your favor or
when you know you have scored points against your opponent. However, it is also
nice to be told by a client or one's superiors that you have done a good job.
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Downers
Hours and workload. Litigation associates work a lot and are
often juggling many different cases with a variety of
deadlines. It is really tough to maintain a life outside the
office, but it is also critical that you do so.
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Lifestyle
The hours are quite long. Travel is a necessity, but you don't travel everyday
or every week and you may go months without having to go anywhere other than to
the local courthouse. Company social events are minimal--around the holidays and
a summer picnic. The dress code is business casual (a good thing!).
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Compensation
Compensation is quite good here. While we are not at the top of
the market, we are competitive in our area. Salaries (other
than first-year associates' salaries) are not lock-step, so they
are dependent on one's performance. Bonuses are given at year-
end and are also tied to performance. The bonuses are usually
quite good, if not overly generous.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Make sure you are prepared to devote a significant portion of
your week (and waking hours) to the job. If you are not,
perhaps litigation is not for you. It is very hard to succeed
in this job without devoting quite a bit of time to it.
The good thing about litigation is that it doesn't experience
the slowdowns felt by the corporate side of law. When the
economy is down, entities default on agreements, which leads to
litigation. When the economy is good, there are still disputes,
so the outlook is pretty good for this type of work in the
future.
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