Dear Lawyers Who Just Passed the Bar or Are Studying for the Next Bar Exam:
Soon, you’ll find that your advanced knowledge of the elements of the tort of battery and your ability to write as fast as you can without checking any legal authority is not going to do you very much good in the real world.
There are going to be some things you are going to want to do right off the bat. Get a mentor. Join some trade organizations. Learn about office politics. Learn that the best thing you can do in the office is be nice to your secretary. If you want to do things a little bit above your paygrade, learn technology.
When I started my legal career, the big news in the legal industry was that first-year salaries were jumping from $125,000 to $160,000. I have since heard a rumor that salaries have maybe jumped to $180,000, but I’ll have to check my sources on that. Not long after the short-lived joy of the bump to 160, the economy tanked, and I realized that I would now be competing not just with my classmates, but with all of the underemployed first-, second-, and third-year lawyers who knew more about practicing law and would work for first-year rates. I had to stand out by learning technology.
- Ediscovery
- Trial Presentation
Read the details at Above The Law Blog.