Biglaw’s Got the View But Not Much Worthwhile to Do
Yet another article, Smaller Can Be Beautiful for Some Lawyers, (bizjournal, 11/2005) on biglaw attorneys leaving their firms for smaller – or in this case, mid-sized pastures. But what I found so sad about this piece is the reason that some folks stay on at biglaw: not because they prefer the work but rather, they love the view. Here’s a quote:
Jenkins, the lawyer who joined Jeffer Mangels, said that while she has fond memories of Littler Mendelson, she thinks she is a good fit with her new firm. She even finds she doesn’t miss some old creature comforts. “I used to be on the 27th floor of the Littler building,” which offered sweeping views of San Francisco Bay. “I used to think ‘How am I going to get up in the morning?’ without that view.
Seems to me that if the only reason that you’re going to work is to stare out the window, that doesn’t sound like reason to stay…but reason to leave.
Agreed.
Agreed.
From the article: “Not all lawyers have the same ability to move to a smaller firm. Some practices tend to benefit from big firms and their national or global reach. A class action litigator, for example, likely would find it easier to be with a firm that has offices in major cities where cases are tried. A lawyer making a jump to a smaller firm also needs to have clients that are “portable,” meaning those clients are highly likely to continue giving work to the attorney regardless of the size of the firm.”
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No! Wrong! Missing the point! Only biglaw lawyers need talk about “books of business.” How about this: represent individuals and you get new clients all the time?
Entities “giving work”..blah blah blah — biglaw stinks.
From the article: “Not all lawyers have the same ability to move to a smaller firm. Some practices tend to benefit from big firms and their national or global reach. A class action litigator, for example, likely would find it easier to be with a firm that has offices in major cities where cases are tried. A lawyer making a jump to a smaller firm also needs to have clients that are “portable,” meaning those clients are highly likely to continue giving work to the attorney regardless of the size of the firm.”
___________________________
No! Wrong! Missing the point! Only biglaw lawyers need talk about “books of business.” How about this: represent individuals and you get new clients all the time?
Entities “giving work”..blah blah blah — biglaw stinks.