If you could do Biglaw all over again...

[Anonymous]

22:02 gave great advice. Also, as a abrupt but brilliant partner used to scream down the hall at my former big law firm, "There's no substitute for THINKING!"

That means, when you are asked to take 20 forms from a prior deal and do the first cut on the docs for the current deal, you take a few minutes to understand what is actually going on in the business transaction and what the client's goals are. In BigLaw transactional practice as a young associate, it can sometimes indeed seem like secretarial work---but stop and get someone to explain to you the legal reason why each document in the transaction exists and what are the most important (and often negotiated points) associated with each.


And I agree with the folks who suggested spending some time at the SEC after a 2 to 4 year BigLaw stint.

And if you aren't sure that securities is the life for you, then 22:19 is spot on---keep your antenna up for other opportunities or practice groups that offer a broader career path.

[Anonymous]

Yes, do all of the above, but here's the real thing: Find a pace you can live with and don't be afraid to say no. You do need to keep your hours up, and there should be an outstanding year or two (2400+), but you do not need to be the top billing associate; ultimately it will only hasten your way to the exit.

When you work for multiple partners, nobody knows your schedule but you.

And practical advice: Have your babies while at the firm, within the first several years of beginning practice. For some reason, law firms offer more generous maternity and paternity benefits than any place I know, particularly considering the salary. If you are a man, take the paternity leave. All of it.

[Anonymous]

Stick with it for a while. So many of DH's colleagues were looking for the exits after two to four years, but those young attorneys who stuck it out longer than that were generally the ones who went on to strong, long-term, legal careers - even if not at the firm.

[Anonymous]

I'd have listened to my girlfriend (who later became my wife) about what to wear to events outside of the office.Every time I didn't, I embarrassed myself.

[Anonymous]

Always be thinking about your end game. If you want to be partner, start early getting in good with the right people. If you just want to do it for a few years think about what you want next and make sure you are working towards that (ie making connections and getting specialty). Dont take the approach, i will work hard/do good work and everything else will take care of itself.

[Anonymous]

No reason to do it other than the money. Bank as much as you can before moving on. The business model will surely change, but that's still years away.

[Anonymous]

Treat it as a temp job. Don't assume your income will ever be that high and live like a student.

[Anonymous]

Find a mentor during your first year. Make as many connections as you can. One of the partners I worked for at the firm hired me for an in house job years later.

[Anonymous]

Find out who the good partners to work for are, and find a way to work for them.

Look for people who have a good reputation, seem relatively happy with a good life outside of the office, and are successful.

Avoid the partners who are miserable and have terrible reputations, either as bosses or in the field (but be polite to them). The associate who was forced to stay awake for 3 days and nights--not acceptable.

Don't burn bridges.

Make friends, avoid back-stabbers.

Realize that what makes a great partner is NOT THE SAME as what makes a great associate.

[Anonymous]

Understand that favoritism will triumph over good work.

[Anonymous]

The bossy advice is absolutely terrible and will destroy you. Even more so if you're a woman (and I say this as a woman who notices that a lot of other women, either more senior to me or peers, who try to be overly assertive end up being universally disliked because they are trying too hard to play the game like a man when it's just not their personalities and they end up being bossy).

Definitely have a child at the firm for the very generous leave. Rent a cheaper apartment than you think you can afford -- taxes, student loans, and repaying your advance is a bitch, especially in that first year.

[Anonymous]

Remember who your internal clients are. As a junior associate, your job is to make the midlevel associate who is delegating work to you look good. Do not go around that person to the more senior associate or partner because you know (or think) that the assignment is ultimately for him/her. I cannot tell you how many times I've had an overeager junior send an assignment to the senior associate without running it by me first. It's my job as a midlevel to proof your work, make sure its correct, etc. before it gets sent to the senior associate. If you send it directly to the senior associate -- even if it's 100% right, which it NEVER is -- it makes you look like an overbearing asshat, and the senior associate and I will just talk about how you cannot follow basic directions and overstep your boundaries; it won't be pretty.

On a related note, when someone asks for a "draft," do not send an unpolished, proofread piece of garbage. It should be your absolute, final document that could be sent directly to the client. If you're working on a slide deck, MAKE SURE IT LOOKS GOOD!!! Sloppy, lazy formatting will absolutely downgrade a substantively perfect piece of work, and all the more senior associate will be thinking is that you're too lazy to take pride in your own work produce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Understand that favoritism will triumph over good work.

Which is why you shouldn't kill yourself being a billable hours machine. Do what you need to do, do it well, but playing misery poker with your life and health and marriage (and kids, if you have them) is no guarantee of making partner. Work smart. Observe closely who makes partner, seems well-adjusted, and figure out why. Be like them. Observe also who fail at work and at life. Don't be like them. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

[Anonymous]

Most important advice is do not build your life around a biglaw salary-- the golden handcuffs can be very real and you will be much better off financially, personally, and professionally, if you do not develop a lifestyle that needs that level of salary.

I think it's a fine line between advocating for yourself in getting the work/partners you want, and being a prima donna/PITA.

My regret is that I didn't push harder to do work I was more interested in because I thought I should focus on developing a reputation for being willing to do good work on what I was assigned, but I ended up developing an expertise in an area that was ok but not great and it became harder and harder to switch.

I think the advice to "stick with it for a while" because "DH's colleagues" had better legal careers that way is somewhere between misinformed and dangerous. At some point senior associates start losing their marketability and just "sticking with it" is a bad strategy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Treat it as a temp job. Don't assume your income will ever be that high and live like a student.

I wish I had done this. Even if you stay there forever, you'll be glad you did. And this is especially true if you have student loans to pay back.

There is no such thing as a draft. Everything you show to anyone else should be your best work.

A few books I recommend: http://www.amazon.com/The-Curmudgeons-Guide-Practicing-Law/dp/1590316762 and http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Power-Steven-Zuckerman/dp/0692281630/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8