How Can Experienced Attorneys Overcome Age Bias and Stand Out in Job Applications?

Description

In this Q&A clip, Harrison discusses the age bias in the legal profession and offers advice on how experienced attorneys can overcome it and stand out in job applications.
He emphasizes highlighting one's ability to work hard, commit, and learn on a resume. Harrison suggests that experienced attorneys can still secure positions as "grinders" in law firms by highlighting their passion for the work and desire to work for the firm in question. He also notes that law firms prefer "binders" over "grinders."
This clip is a valuable resource for experienced attorneys navigating the job market and overcoming age bias.

Transcript

Transcript:

Yeah, so there is a lot of bias in the legal profession; it's always been there. It's not mainly in a firm, and it's the way it is.

So people come out of school, and when they come out of school, they typically have fresh ideas and a lot of enthusiasm. They're willing to learn and have a lot more energy, prioritizing their career over family and other things.

When you're young, the main product you offer to an employer is the ability to work hard and commit. They offer you the prospect of being a partner if you exert an extraordinary effort. Those are the main things, and then you offer them the ability to learn; people certainly like to feel important. That's attorneys, and everyone likes to feel important.

So how you adjust your resume to avoid that bias is basically to be like, this is what I do; I love this work; it's all I've ever done; I would like to work for you. So you can undoubtedly get positions as a grinder as a more senior attorney. Law firms just tend to prefer binders to grinders.