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Originally Posted by Unregistered
I have been reading this thread from the beginning and saw many comments like this where junior lawyers (particularly in the Big 4?) say they do very menial work. My question then is this - after 3 PQE, what makes them attractive to other firms as lateral hires?
Everyone says at the big firms you are but a cog in the wheel, but on the other hand this must give you greater exposure to more complex cases. Or is it really the case after 3 years you learn nothing (but how to check punctuation and carry boxes?!) Then why do international firms only hire from 'reputable' firms, when they know their associates have not done much? Or is it you only do menial work in the 1st year?
I ask because I just finished my RLT at a smallish firm and have been considering my future. Like many trainees in small firms I did "substantive" legal work like drafting submissions and affidavits (which may or may not be used la). Of course, our files are at a very different level from the big firms. But does this score any points in the next firm if I am looking to move up, as compared to Big 4 associates who apparently only do menial work? Then again, will I always be at a disadvantage because I dont have a brand name on my CV?
To the seniors out there, any thoughts on this? Any advice on how I may plan my progression / work to distinguish myself and gain employability?
So in summary my questions are
1. Why do big firms consider hiring 3 PQE associates from other big firms? If I'm from a small firm, would the bigger firms consider my experience in working files and hire me?
2. Any advice on how I can move from a small firm to a big firm?
Many thanks!
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The answer is very simple: law is a prestige-driven industry, from client-to-lawyer, and between lawyer-to-lawyer.
The truth of the matter is there's not very much difference in the quality of LEGAL services between Big 4 LLP and Mid-tier LLP. Of course let's not compare with Chinatown LLP (where there is a tangible difference).
For the difference in price point, the client essentially getting (1) brand name, (2) 24-hour customer service. If you're the GC of the company, you will engage Big 4 external counsel to CYA (cover your a ss when things go wrong so that you don't get blamed for hiring incompetent externals).
Why do you think there's an inordinate number of legal directories ranking lawyers and law firms for every tom dick and harry area of practice? Because there's no other way to distinguish them! The other alternative is for the GC to just go to his law school friend who is a partner of so-and-so firm.
This illusion of prestige = quality trickles down to the hiring process, where the HR and hiring partners only go for candidates who have bigger names on your resume.
Most of the time, the actual Human Resources screeners at big firms are not legally trained. They are generically-trained ops people/support staff. They don't actually know the substance of your actual LEGAL experience and work. They probably have a general idea of the difference between different areas of practice, but they don't actually know, know what lawyers do. They are trained to filter CVs based on brand names only.
Its only when a candidate actually speaks to the actual LEGALLY-trained partner in the practice group / department he's hoping to get hired in, that the partner can actually see through whether a candidate's experience is fluff /BS or substantive, eg whether "assisted in $500m IPO" actually meant he was punching holes in the prospectus.
Unfortunately, much of the time, HR screeners are your only way to get your foot in the door.
To answer your questions, if you are disadvantaged coming from a mid-tier/small no-brand-name firm, you need to home in on your ACTUAL substantive experience. I'd say is 50% luck (luck meaning luck of opportunity, good timing and warm contacts). If you actually have a point-of-contact inside the firm, your chances are much better as you can impress the person responsible / partially-responsible for making the hiring decision.
If you don't its tougher but opportunities arise as and when. You just need to be mindful that by virtue of the HR screening process, you take far longer for your CV to get a 2nd look than someone whose CV screams "worked in Big 4 LLP: Legal 500 top ranked firm in XYZ practice area".