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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Who goes on to do trial work in the state and county systems, where the rubber hits the road so to speak?  [/quote]

I think local connections really help in starting out in county/state courts. Most lawyers I've found with a healthy practice in those courts went to law school in that state, did decently, did internships with prosecutor's offices or clerkships with local judges. In criminal law, they often start in the prosecutor's office and then switch to defense after they've learned the ropes. But I've also seen defense attorneys who went straight into defense private practice out of school. The successful ones usually had a good mentor who helped them. It also helps if you have a niche.[/quote]

So, there you go.  Why so much emphasis on HYP Law and trying to get to BigLaw when there are real needs to be met and served at the state and county levels with smaller firms or in solo practice?  
  [/quote]

Just to explain why more people don't go that route: a lot of state budgets were hit hard during the recession. Prosecutor's offices were not hiring, public defenders were taking furlough days and the PD offices were asking recent graduates if they wanted to clerk for free. If your connections were in a state that faced a budget deficit when you graduated, the picture was not rosy.

Solo = starting your own business, with all the risks and potential gains that come with that. No income until you have enough clients to cover expenses. No clients until you build a name for yourself. Clients who won't/can't pay. No one to turn to for advice when your client's case turns more complicated than you expected.

Small firms are also unpredictable. Their life is often feast or famine. They usually hire people they know personally or have seen in court.  They often don't pay well for an inexperienced attorney, and they have their pick of graduates who didn't make big law.

All things for people to think about before entering law school, and reasons not to go into serious debt for your degree.[/quote]

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