Description
Why a Lot of Attorneys Find a Better Quality of Life in Small Firms
[00:00:00] I want to know if the media presence plays a role in getting a job, like blog writing.
I don't know what that is. But yeah, the law firm sees you have a interest in something then typically, they're likely do something about that. If they see, you have an interest in some sort of outside thing, like you're saying in blog writing, regarding your practice.
So anything that shows commitment to what you're doing to your work is good.
In case the firm hasn't replied to a candidate after an interview that showed mutual interests...
Typically, you don't want to follow up with the firm, or you can follow up and tell them you're still interested. But typically if a firm hasn't followed up then it just means that they're working some stuff down or they may have to meet so just telling them that you remain interested and that sort of thing can be very helpful.
You don't want to be too desperate. Anytime a candidate looks desperate, there is a little bit of a game here. So if the firm's not responding, you can certainly follow up and say you remain interested, but if that's it and the firm doesn't respond after that, then then you typically just want to [00:01:00] leave it at that point.
Ive been listenong to your seminars and reading articles for a long time. I'm still in law school but appreciate all the points you raise. It feels like no one is willing to talk about these things. My peers act like you are insane if you look at smaller markets, like going in-house to some sort of holy grail like like large law firms are blood suckers, as opposed to great places to get training, like partners should be viewed as an enemy.
Even experienced attorneys are not always forthright. Why is the profession so uptight?
Okay, that's a great question. Let me see. So a couple of different things. The first thing is that that, there's nothing wrong with looking at smaller markets. The first thing about smaller markets, people that go to smaller markets typically have longer term careers.
The cost of living is better in smaller markets. It's easier to get clients. You can you afford housing. The hours aren't as bad. People that go to smaller markets are often much happier and end up practicing law in a much longer term role. So smaller markets, in my opinion, I say this almost every week, but people that go to smaller markets almost always have a lot of staying power in the legal profession.
They're happier.
They even end up [00:02:00] practicing a lot longer. So I like smaller markets. I don't understand, almost all attorneys I know in smaller markets stay practicing attorneys. They're respected for practicing law in smaller markets. And they stick with the practice of law, and they actually have relationships with clients and are much happier.
I think smaller markets are better than going in-house. Going in-house is not a holy grail. As a matter of fact, it's one of the riskiest jobs you can have because of what happens when you go in-house is, you may not be working in large law firm hours, but at the same time your odds of losing your job are very good.
And most attorneys that are in-house do not stick with law firms very long. And they end up losing their jobs and not sticking with stuff very long over the long run.
I'll just give you a couple of reasons, but every time management changes in a company, hire new attorneys and they get rid of the old ones.
They just, as law firms prefer younger attorneys, most in-house companies prefer younger attorneys. It becomes much harder to get an in-house job after losing an in-house job. You don't have a lot of employment stability.
You never got clients. You're a cost center.
So I [00:03:00] don't think that's true.
I think large law firms are bloodsuckers as opposed to great places to get training.
Now, the thing is that's what's great about a large law firm. a large law firm does have a lot of work and you only get better by doing work. And when you work in a large law firm, you get to work in sophisticated matters and that's important.
Being able to work on sophisticated matters is extremely important. You get that experience in large law firms and getting lots and lots of hours just makes you that much better of an attorney. For most attorneys, the most important thing is to have work and they're not, bloodsuckers.
They're doing work for the most sophisticated companies on the most sophisticated matters.
And then a partner, shouldn't be viewed as the enemy. Partners are people just trying to get work done there. People that are assigning the work and then giving you the experience.
Most of the time the people that are complaining, are people that are not happy in general.
And if you're practicing law, your goal really is to be happy and to enjoy the profession and to do the best you can.
I understand what you're saying. But I think the profession's uptight because these are the things that attorneys talk about for the most part.
And a lot of [00:04:00] this information is wrong. There are articles I've written that you can probably see about going in-house that about all of these things.
Smaller markets being good.
In-house and so forth.
Why large law firms are great places.
