Understanding the Big Law: A Must-Read Guide to One of the World’s Most Challenging Workplaces is now available

Many law students dream of donning a smart suit, walking into a gleaming office tower, and then settling into a corner office to do high-stakes legal work. Yes, they must have heard about the astronomical stress levels that come with working at Big Law, and its all-consuming nature.

But some people just can’t resist the “New York, New York” challenge. They know that if they can succeed at one of these companies, they will succeed anywhere.

Enters Big Law Confidential, the comprehensive guide to the experience of large US law firms By DW Randolph. For young lawyers who want to take on a challenge–and those they care about–it is a must-read book.

The author is Partner, Rainmaker, and Head of Practice at a firm included in the Am Law 100, a ranking of the nation’s largest and most powerful firms, those labeled Big Law. The author chose to write under an anonymous pseudonym so that nothing would interfere with the frankness necessary for the work to be truly useful.

And frank is. Early on, the author discusses high compensation. We’re talking a starting base salary of over $200,000 per year in some markets, plus hefty bonuses. A dose of reality follows: Big Law pays this so that the brightest students from top schools can afford the “soul-crushing” work.

In case you think this is an exaggeration, a Forbes The survey recounted in the book found that “the worst and most unhappy job in America was that of an assistant at a large law firm.”

This book is designed to help lawyers prepare and act. Secret big law It contains a huge amount of information, from the general to the detailed. It is tempting to say that only a great lawyer would be coherent and organized enough to produce such a guide, which aims to teach its readers “how to survive the grueling, incredibly stressful, and incredibly difficult (.) work experience”.

Or better yet, how we succeed. Some of the advice makes sense, like focusing on producing quality work and communicating promptly with top lawyers and clients, but some is less obvious and quite brilliant. For example, the author advises you to schedule your personal time to exercise or have (be vague about activity) into the company’s system, so that when a partner checks to see if you’re free, they don’t get the impression that your hands are idle. Optics is an important weapon in the battle for success in the big law.

A young lawyer reading this book might say, “The partners sure know I need some time for myself and my family.”

There is no such luck. This is big law, as you will be expected to produce a massive volume of high-quality, error-free legal work quickly and on budget. It is certain that your work will not be limited to normal working hours. Twelve hours a day it is necessary At Big Law, people who stay up all night are unheard of, and everyone works at least a few hours while on vacation.

For this reason, the author suggests that this guide be used not only by lawyers who decide to join a large law firm–and those who strive to be successful once they do–but by the people in their lives. Couples and other family members will need to understand, as far as possible, what it takes to be successful.

Legal recruiters may also find the book useful, as well as clients of major law firms and law school faculty, staff, and administrators, to name a few.

In fact, the author makes it easy, providing a list of people who should read the book in the introduction, as well as a glossary and outline of highlights from each chapter.

The chart is a great feature. It can be used as an indicator. Imagine that you are a junior employee heading into your first performance review. You may want to re-read this section to arm yourself with knowledge and relieve stress. See the chart. Wondering how rewards work? The graph will tell you where to read. Need advice on getting a promotion? The chart will point you in the right direction. Secret big law Hours in at 529 pages, plus a recommended reading list. The infographic, which provides quick details, should help keep the book useful throughout your career.

But what impressed this reviewer most was the readability. At times, the book is amusing and has a sly sense of humor. Chapter Three, for example, is called “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Don’t pull punches.

The “good” in the great law includes excellent training, substantive experience in red meat legal work, the development of valuable personal relationships, and of course, money. Who wouldn’t want to pay off their law school debt in a few years?

The “bad” include working under incredible time pressure and absurdly long hours, a lack of feedback, a toxic culture, and this reviewer’s favorite subtitle, “jerks,” a section that describes the kind of demanding manager/partner all lawyers want to avoid, the kind that He shouts and throws staplers.

In the next section, titled “Ugly,” the prose becomes somber: “The rates of drug use, misuse, and addiction in the legal industry are among the highest of all professions, in some cases double the rates for the general population.”

Add to this mental health problems, in addition to physical problems caused by long working hours that prevent exercise and healthy meals. The author told about a classmate who gained 70 pounds in two years.

And finally, the ugliest thing of all, is losing your soul when a customer’s needs or actions don’t align with your ethics.

The author concludes this brutally honest chapter with a startling quote: “As one former senior law partner said, I’ve never met anyone in my life who regretted their decision to leave their job as an associate at a law firm.” never.'”

Another vital part of the book comes in Chapter Seven, “A Day in the Life.” Here, the author provides detailed accounts of a typical workday for attorneys at every level of a large law firm, from junior associate to equity partner. First, the so-called “good day” is detailed, when there are no fires to put out and the lawyer is left in peace for hours on end to get the work done on his “to-do” list.

Of course, these good days are rare. The author’s description of a bad day may be familiar to anyone who has worked in the legal field: midnight emails from an anxious client who needs a problem resolved quickly; senior colleagues who sit over your abstract for days only to throw it at you, telling you to review it “ASAP,” but offering no directions; The obligatory meetings that besiege you as your work piles up.

Secret big law It also contains a wealth of practical information—presented in concise language—about typical senior law recruitment processes, compensation structures, practice areas, promotion processes, management structures, economics, and client relationships. The author certainly earned the right to call this the comprehensive guide. While the right partners certainly won’t explain what happened in a management meeting to a junior colleague, this book explains the realities of the business and offers insights to help one work better and smarter. This may help them develop a good reputation in the company, which the author says is one of the keys to progress.

In the final chapter, despite frank discussions about the dark side of the Grand Law, the author says that if given the chance to do it again, the author would choose the same path. After all, many believe that Big Law represents the ultimate in law enforcement. And now, this book is here to help.

Elizabeth M. Bennett was a business reporter who transitioned into legal journalism when she covered the Delaware courts, which inspired her to go to law school. After a few years as a practicing attorney in the Philadelphia area, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and returned to freelance reporting and editing.