Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lawfirm

Good Things to Know Before Starting a New Job

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:43:45 -0800

NewJobFilter: What are the kinds of things you like to know (or wish you had known) before starting a new job? All walks of life welcome, though I'm especially interested in the experiences of folks at law firms. I'm a litigator in my early 30s. I was laid off for economic reasons from a large, national law firm a few months ago (my first and only job since graduating from law school in 2006). Anyhow, I was lucky enough to find a new job at a much smaller (~20 attorney) firm that specializes in patent litigation, which is what I had been doing before. I start in ten days. Both my old job and new job are in NYC.

So, whether generically or law-firm specific, what sorts of things do you find helpful to know about a new workplace before (or soon after) you start? This includes both the kinds of things you might specifically ask someone, as well as the sort of stuff best picked up through observation rather than direct questioning. Thanks very much.

Dealing with an old, ugly college transcript

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:38:57 -0800

An old problem that I figured was more-or-less permanently in my past has reared its head. Even though I graduated from college a decade ago and have since gone to law school, a prospective employer is demanding my college transcript. I did poorly in college - I got three Fs and had to take a year off at my school's insistence. My question is, when I send along my transcript, should I include any kind of explanatory note, or just leave things be? (A few more details inside.) As I mentioned, after getting three Fs, I had to take a year off from school. When I came back for my senior year, I did a lot better academically. A few years later, I applied to law school and got into a top school, where I also did well academically (Dean's List two of three years). I got a job with a top law firm, which I held until recession-induced mass layoffs a few months ago.

In other words, I figured I had managed to put my ugly college transcript behind me. So this request was rather a surprise. (I was also surprised to be asked for my law school transcript, as no other prospective employers have sought that either, but that one doesn't really matter.)

When I was applying to law schools, pretty much every application had a section where you had to explain any prolonged absences or "disciplinary" actions taken during college. I had a short mini-essay where I described my experience, and how I bounced back from it. My subsequent success is, to me, even further proof of how distantly in the past my poor college grades are.

So, do I bother pointing all this out to these people? Or would that bring unnecessary attention to my college grades? It's not like they won't see them - they're obviously going to look at the transcript. But perhaps it's just better to let my post-college record (ie, law school & law firm job) do the talking. Thanks for your thoughts.

How are small law firms set up?

bilbo baggins — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:55:13 -0800

How are small law firms structured? Do new partners have to invest capital to join. Or does a few years of grunt work, lead to being made partners? I want to do general practice in a small to mid size town in North Carolina. I do not want to open my own firm, I would like to "learn the ropes" legal and business-wise from an experienced attorney, who does general practice. I will be applying to law school in fall 2010.

Please spare me, "if you don't do big law, you won't ever pay off debt...etc."

Appropriate salary for a legal conflicts analyst?

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:53:57 -0800

I am applying for a job as a legal conflicts analyst, and the employer wants me to list a salary requirement in my cover letter. Problem: I have no idea as to what figure would be appropriate. This is for a branch of a large international law firm in a mid-size city in the northeastern US. The position involves investigation of conflicts of interest. Candidates are required to have a J.D.

I've looked online but haven't had much luck. Help, please?

What does a third year associate make at a small firm in DC?

n'muakolo — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:43:08 -0800

Give me your best guess for what 3rd year associates make in small (1-10 person) for-profit firms in DC? I've looked at lists online and some anecdotal evidence, but still don't have a good handle on this. If my friend is asked to give her salary requirements in an interview at a small for-profit firm in DC, what ballpark should she give? She has been out of law school for 3 years, from a top 15 law school, excellent grades. It looks like maybe $75,000 would be the norm, but I find that sort of hard to believe since there are so many government attorneys in DC, and government attorneys salaries usually range from about $65,000-$120,000, and it's a true 40 hour week. Anecdotes, lists, anything with data welcome.

Add a new practice area to an existing law firm?

Dignan — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:16:54 -0800

What's the best way to go about adding a new practice area to an existing law firm? I currently work at a law firm with practice devoted to public benefits law (medicare/medicaid, SSDI, VA benefits, etc.). I'm the youngest attorney by at least 15 years and feel like we should diversify a bit just in case legislation seriously limits our ability to practice and collect fees in any of our administrative law fields. We're a small firm with 7 attorneys.

The partners in charge basically told me that if I can generate business in a new practice area, we could go ahead and consider it. We're considering opening up practice tangentially related to our current fields. We've looked into ERISA disability appeals, ADA litigation, disability employment discrimination, and others.

What's the best way to go about establishing a new practice area at a firm?

Indian Call Center advice?

jayder — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:07:30 -0800

Advice on hiring an Indian call center to answer after-hours calls for a law practice? We have used U.S. answering services for handling after-hours and vacation calls for my solo law practice. However, the quality of service with the U.S. answering services has been extraordinarily poor and, in my opinion, way too expensive.

So we have gone without after-hours answering services, just sending callers to voicemail after hours (which is what a lot of law firms do). But I think that my caseload and client satisfaction would increase if I were able to have the phones answered by a person 24/7, with the agents sending me the messages by e-mail.

I have read good things about Indian call centers, and I've been toying with the idea of hiring an Indian company to handle our after-hours calls. They'd just be taking messages and possibly making appointments for prospective clients. Here are my questions:

(1) Is it true that Indian call centers give a reasonably high level of service?
(2) Is it true that Indian call centers are significantly cheaper than U.S. answering services?
(3) How much can I expect to pay for the service?
(4) How are international call rates avoided when you forward your phones to an Indian call center?
(5) Can anyone recommend a call center that you've had good experiences with?

Help me choose a career!

BuddhaInABucket — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 17:32:48 -0800

Today at a job interview for a marketing position at a law firm, the lady interviewing me expressed her concern that I would find the job boring because I am overqualified for it. My question has two parts: how do you respond when an interviewer tells you something like that? And, if I'm so overqualified for this marketing job, what kind of job should I be looking for? I graduate in a few days with a degree in linguistics. My resume is sort of bare, but contains a couple of gems like a high position in student government and a newspaper editing job.
The three fields I'm most interested in are law, politics, and journalism. Am I underestimating my potential? What kinds of jobs should I be applying for?

How do I find the 'quality of life' law firm?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 14:32:21 -0800

How do I find a "quality of life" law firm? I'm in the middle of this exciting JD program and I want to figure out how to craft my career so that I don't hate my life. More about my particular situation: I'm going to one of those schools that's generally regarded as a free ticket to go anywhere, but in fact, 3/4 of the graduates go on to work in a corporate firm for 70+ hours a week. This is not my idea of a good life; I really value my time outside of work. To be clear, I don't expect to make the standard 125K plus bonus; I'm more than willing to sacrifice some pay to have a reasonable schedule; how do I communicate this in interviews without coming off as lazy?

I don't expect any specific firm recommendations (though they're always welcome), but more like searching strategies and who to talk to. Ideally, the firm would be in a major coastal city (or Chicago) or within about 45 minutes of one.

New Lawyer Looking for Recommendations for Briefcase for Files and Laptop

gd779 — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 14:30:18 -0800

Help me pick out a briefcase? More inside. I'm about to take my first law firm job, and I know nothing about briefcases. What kind should I get? I'll probably want to move files and my laptop back and forth each day. Money is no object (It will no doubt be a graduation gift, or at least subsidized as a graduation gift).

April fools jokes for an office environment

vraxoin — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 22:50:57 -0800

As the sysadmin for a really boring law firm, I feel somehow honor bound to wreak some kind of non-CLM technical havoc at work in honor of April Fools (only on those that can handle it, of course). What have you done/had done to you that brought peals of laughter but didn't get anyone fired or indicted?

Job After Law School

norm — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 09:52:32 -0800

How do I find a law job? (more, natch) So, I'm entering my last semester of law school and still don't have a job offer. It's bewildering, but there are no places that have any advice or help available on the internet that don't charge an arm or a leg.

Additionally, the vast majority of job listing pages only have listings for lateral (i.e., attorneys with experience) hires, so the internet generally is of limited help.

Other particulars: I go to a top-twenty law school in the upper midwest and would like to stay here if possible, but am willing to relocate. I'd like to work for a law firm doing civil litigation. I'm in the top quartile gradewise and have been told in mock interviews that I interview well. I have worked as a law clerk for the last two years, so I have some level of experience, and I have good recommendations. I've done the On Campus Interviewing (OCI) business and got several call-backs but no offers.

My biggest problem, I guess, besides the awful job market, is that my Career Services Office puts a lot of energy into the fall OCI but then doesn't do much else. I am not getting any ideas from them about places or methods of application and am at a loss for my next step. What can I do?