Summary: Most attorneys will take any chance they can to work at a law firm. Here are the top 10 reasons why they will.
The majority of lawyers out there would jump at the opportunity of working for a major law firm. However some attorneys will not for some reason or another. For those attorneys that will give up their current position to work for a major law firm, Harrison Barnes explains why in his recent article. Learn about the 10 reasons here:
- Major law firms provide access to money that smaller law firms don’t have. Big law firms get the big clients with big wallets. They are able to keep throwing money into work so that the work is never ending and the money keeps flowing.
- Attorneys are judged by the reputation of their law firm. The legal industry is focused on the prestige of where you go to law school, your practice area, where you have worked, who you have worked with and more. Once an attorney has been out of law school for a few years, it no longer matters as much and instead the “quality” of where they work counts. Even if they have done a lot of work for a smaller law firm, it won’t count as much as if the work had been done at a large law firm.
- Major law firms typically have more sophisticated and important work. Since large law firms attract larger clients, much of the work is more important and involves more money. Attorneys that want the most sophisticated work will work at large law firms.
- Major law firms generally produce more quality work. With more money come the resources to produce greater quality work. Large law firms have more money, more attorneys, and better trained attorneys doing the work.
- Major law firms pay more money. They have more money coming in from large clients and more work to do for those clients. Even if you don’t necessarily care about making top money, the opportunity to make a lot for a few years is attractive to most attorneys.
- Getting a job with a major law firm is difficult. If an opportunity arises where a large law firm is interested in you, most attorneys will take that opportunity because large law firms are so selective and prestigious. Being able to get a job at a top law firm shows what kind of character, charisma, and motivation you have.
- Attorneys are trained more effectively at major law firms. Large law firms have higher standards in attorneys and in the work they produce.
- Attorneys can bring in more big-time clients at major law firms. With a large law firm backing you up, attorneys can attract big clients easier. Attorneys need clients to keep giving them work otherwise the money and job dry up.
- Once you are in a major law firm, it is easier to move jobs. Moving jobs from a small law firm is hard. Being at a large law firm allows you can move about jobs with ease.
- Major law firms handle recessions better and have better long-term success. When a recession hits, large law firms will be able to handle the shortage of work better because large clients will still need top quality work done. Major law firms also have several practice areas so when there is a shortage of work in one area, they can rely on the other practice areas to support them.
Do you disagree with any of the reasons? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
To learn more about working for large law firms, read these articles:
- Four Mistakes Attorneys Make about Law Firms That Affect Their Long-Term Success
- Three Reasons to Work in a Top Law Firm
- Top Mistakes Attorneys Make That Ruin Their Chances in Big Law Firms
Photo: wikipedia.org