Is Taking “Lower Status” Legal Work Hurting Your Career? Here’s the Truth

Description

In this Q&A video, Harrison Barnes addresses the dilemma many attorneys face when trying to balance maintaining a strong professional image while being open to lower-status roles or assignments. He emphasizes that no attorney, regardless of their experience level, needs to settle for contract attorney positions, which may send a message of being willing to do work at lower rates or lower levels. Barnes encourages attorneys to pursue associate positions instead, pointing out that there are plenty of law firms and solo practitioners who are hiring. He stresses that there are always opportunities available, and attorneys should not feel pressured to take roles that don’t align with their skill level or career goals.

Question:
One point that resonated with me was how attorneys often refuse to do certain types of work or take on lower-status roles, even temporarily. I've been very selective about assignments because I want to maintain a strong professional reputation, but now I'm wondering if that's hurting my growth. How do you balance maintaining your professional image with being open to work that might be considered beneath you at your current level?

Answer:
So let's talk about lower-status roles real quick. The first thing with lower-status roles is that no one—no matter who you are—has to be a contract attorney. If you're a contract attorney, you're sending a message to future employers that you're willing to do work at a low hourly rate, which may not be the highest level of work you can do, and that you're willing to settle for that. Anybody can get an associate position in a law firm because there are tens of thousands of law firms out there, and there are hundreds of thousands of solo practitioners, many of whom are very good. So no one needs to take a lower-status role. You can always be an associate, and you should be. If you're older, you should definitely not be a contract attorney. There are so many people out there who will hire you, so you don't have to settle.