Archives August 2021

The legal industry offers a wide range of job opportunities for attorneys across both private companies and government institutions. Many attorneys have a targeted plan for the sectors they seek to work in but others may be open to different varieties of work. Regardless, there are several characteristics and unique benefits that can come with getting a foot in the door at a big law firm.

Large law firms (also known as mega-firms or big law) are typically the most competitive when it comes to hiring. As such, these firms are also known to offer some of the greatest perks.

Read on for some of the top benefits and advantages gained from working in a large law firm.

High Salaries

Big law firms are known for paying the most. In 2018, the median annual salary for a lawyer was $120,910, according to the Department of Labor. In 2019, big law firms exceeded that level by approximately $35,000 for first-year associates. Big law firms often also have the resources to offer more comprehensive and substantial compensation packages including health care plans, wellness plans, reimbursements, and stock options.

Well-Credentialed Colleagues

Competitive hiring at large law firms means a collective workforce of highly accomplished, successful, and credentialed colleagues. Large law firms have shown they are willing to pay employees more and this filters to all levels of the firm often resulting in some of the most talented lawyers, paralegals, administrators, and operational professionals in the industry. Typically, large law firms will recruit from the best law schools in the world resulting in a full roster of lawyers and employees with prestigious credentials.

Sophisticated, Challenging Work

Large law firms are known for winning some of the most elite cases. This often results in high profile representation on sophisticated, complex matters. This can give lawyers at large law firms a wide range of superior experience. This also provides an intellectually challenging environment for law firm attorneys and paralegals. These firms attract high profile class action suits that require strong, large staffs to manage and try in court.  

Large, Diverse Client Bases

The clients of large law firms tend to be more plentiful and diverse than those of smaller firms. A large, diversified client base makes it less likely that the firm will encounter financial difficulty if a client takes its business elsewhere.

Diversity can also add to a broader range of experience and knowledge. Moreover, many of the mega-firms have multi-jurisdictional practices and multiple locations across the globe, allowing lawyers and paralegals to serve international clients as well.

Extensive Firm Resources

Large law firms are usually built out with a very robust infrastructure of resources from both a technological and collective networking perspective. Advantages may include mentoring, cross-referenced advice, comprehensive on-site copy and mailing centers, and in-depth research access.

Lawyers at big law firms also usually have the benefit of a comprehensive support staff for assistance including administrators, secretaries, proofreaders, project managers, paralegals, marketing specialists, documentation clerks, and more. 

Luxurious Offices in Prime Locations

Large law firms often invest in luxurious offices, usually located in many of the world’s legal and business hubs. Buildings are typically spacious, easily accessible, and built with many added amenities such as full-service cafeterias, in-house gyms, restaurants, and elaborate meeting rooms for clients and recruits.

Well-Developed Training Programs

Large law firms often invest in comprehensive training and mentoring programs for all of their employees and specifically the lawyer base. Examples of these training programs may include elaborate summer associate programs, new employee onboard training, in-house educational programs, support for continuing education, groups for various initiatives, and a variety of sessions for continued growth and learning opportunities.

Significant Advancement Opportunities

Many large law firms are based on clear organizational hierarchies with defined opportunities and milestones for advancement. This can lead to more opportunities for growth as well as clearly defined steps for promotion. Many lawyers enter a big law firm with a long-term career plan that includes progression from several associate and partner levels, ultimately becoming a senior partner. 

Pro Bono Initiatives

Large law firms frequently establish pro bono and public service programs that encourage lawyers and paralegals to commit a certain number of hours to help the community and under-served populations, such as children and the elderly. This can be helpful because many bar associations require ongoing pro bono participation for membership.

Name Recognition

Large law firms get a lot of attention in the legal industry and their company names are associated with a certain level of prestige. This is usually justifiable given the sophisticated caseloads, credentialed case teams, superior training, and publicized thought leadership.

Oftentimes, large law firms are highly regarded for their name brand as well as the many high-profile clients and complex cases they are involved with. Comprehensively, the name recognition can look very good on a resume if lawyers decide to move on to other opportunities.

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Attorneys at small- to mid-sized law firms know there is usually more work than time in most days. That’s just how it is when you are staffed to provide legal services, but not necessarily marketing, office administration, accounting, or any of the other responsibilities that larger law firms can delegate to dedicated personnel. This is more than just an inconvenient fact of life. It’s a potentially fatal flaw, because administrative duties pull attorneys away from profitable work, thus dragging down a firm’s efficiency and putting its overall viability at risk.

“Efficiency” can be defined as the time it takes to complete a given task. In a law firm context, it pertains to the time and effort needed to carry a matter from intake to paid invoice. Obviously, the more efficient this process, the better a firm’s bottom line. And yet, an overwhelming majority of firms have ignored streamlining this area of their operations.

In a report from the Thomson Reuters Institute, 74% of the 400 law firm respondents said spending too much time on administrative tasks was at least a “moderate” challenge. That’s up 2% from the previous year. While it’s a small uptick, it shows that firms failed to make headway on this challenge. Not only that, it is becoming more of a problem.

That point is underscored by how law firms define “success.” 85% say it’s based on overall profits. By clogging a lawyer’s day with non-billable work, inefficiency corrodes profits and dilutes the most important measure of success for many firms.

If any further proof is needed, consider these 3 areas where a lack of efficiency creates serious structural problems:

Client dissatisfaction: In the era of on-demand entertainment and restaurant-to-door delivery service, is it any wonder clients want results immediately? That may not be possible, of course, but it’s still true that a lawyer who is not able to operate efficiently cannot attend to client matters quickly. The less time a lawyer has to spend on non-client work, the more quickly any given billable task can be handled.

Lower-quality work product: Quality legal work demands focus, and that’s hard to do when you’re dealing with issues other than practicing law. Attorneys who focus primarily on their clients’ matters produce a much higher-quality finished product that leads to happier, more loyal customers.

Attorney burnout: Burnout is a tremendous issue for the legal profession. For lawyers at small- to mid-sized firms, a major cause is trying to do everything alone. When “everything” includes too much non-billable work, lawyers become exhausted performing tasks that don’t bring in any money. That is inefficiency at its worst.

In the end, no attorney needs another thing on his or her plate. Efficiency is worthy of special consideration, however. Because, in its absence, the prospect of ultimate failure increases.

Any candidate going for an interview has to have a level of preparedness in them to be successful. Being able to answer questions confidently and accurate is the secret code to cracking any interview.

However, you can go one step better to catch your interviewer’s attention with the kind of questions you ask. If you’re being interviewed at a law firm, here are 10 out-of-the-box questions that you can ask your interviewer.

What stands out for you in my CV to make you believe that I can handle this role?

This question is one that allows you to get insight from your interviewer. If you’re doing well enough and they’re considering you, you’ll know from the response, and the same thing applies if you aren’t doing well enough. If it’s the latter, you might get some ideas on making your resume better from their response.

What qualities do I need to be successful at this job?

This question passes an air of confidence and optimism around you like you know you already have the job and are looking to do well. This is impressive for any interviewer, and you’re sure going to learn a thing or two about the necessary qualities you need.

 

What’s your most exciting work experience since you’ve been at the firm?

This is a personal question to the interviewer, and if they’re going to answer it, they’ll have to be personal in their answer. What this does is to make you both familiar and create an atmosphere of friendliness between you both. This is good to ease tension (if you’re tense) and make you more relaxed.

Who would I work closely with if I’m in this position?

This question allows you to know more about the role you’re interviewing for at the firm. You also get to learn about people you’ll be working with and their respective roles. What’s more? It creates anticipation between interviewer and interviewee and shows you’re eager to work at the firm.

If I’m to work with you in this role, how would you utilise my skill set?

This is an ideal question for when you’ll be working closely with your interviewer at the firm (if you’re employed). It turns the table against them. Now you’re interviewing them because you believe in your skill set and what you’re bringing to the firm. Trust me; they wouldn’t want to lose you.

What’s the outlook for this firm in the next five years?

As a professional, your personal growth is essential, and the firm you work at can either hinder you or help you grow. So, it’s smart of you to ask about how the firm is evolving. If the firm isn’t growing, you’ll likely not grow too.

Why did you decide to work for this firm?

Ideally, this is a question that they should ask you or might have asked you. Here you are turning the table against them. Their response to this question will give you an idea of what the firm is like and its evolution in recent years.

What’s the biggest challenge the firm is currently facing?

Every company faces one form of the problem or the other at different times of their existence. So, the firm interviewing you may have challenges they’re yet to resolve. Some of these challenges might stem from the industry’s evolution, technology changes, the need for new strategies, etc. You have to know your new employers’ significant concerns, so you know what you’re coming into. You’ll discover challenging areas for the firm by asking this question and how your skill set can be an effective solution for them.

What’s the biggest opportunity that the firm has currently?

There are specific questions that you have to ask during the interview process for the sake of your personal and professional growth. This is another one of those questions. If the company has a good record of finding and exploring new business opportunities, that’s a positive sign. It means that they have something to offer you. This could mean that you have a workplace with a stable environment where you’ll have the opportunity to move your career forward.
When you ask a question like this, it gives the interviewer an idea that you want the firm to succeed and care for its growth.

 

Are there any concerns that might disqualify me from this job?

Most of the time, companies require a particular skill set from their prospects and have to satisfy this before you’re considered for the job. You’re being interviewed because you meet some qualifications, but there are other candidates, and they may have more of the skill set that the company needs.
When you ask a question like this, you can get an idea of whether or not you’ll be getting the job. If not, you’ll know those things you need to improve on and the skill sets you have to hone.

Conclusion

While you have the opportunity to ask questions during the interview process, that’s primarily not your role, and the interviewer isn’t obliged to answer all your questions. However, you can make an impression with some of these questions. Contact us for more information.