URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions Forum

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1800calturk

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by 1800calturk » Fri May 21, 2010 11:31 am

I don't find any of the questions offensive, these are all great questions that are legitimate issues. In fact, this forum is the place to ask contraversial questions behind a shield of anonymity, because it may be inappropriate to ask future peers/employers questions like this.

I for one am very interested in how URMs are treated in the work place. I would also not be surprised if we're considered behind others for partner. And unlike many of my black friends, I don't blame racism or the white man directly. I think at some point, to solve this problem, they need to stop giving us such a boost in admissions. It's like how white people don't want black doctors because they assume that the black doctor did less well in school than a white doctor.

I don't know, it's a difficult issue because on the one hand you want to encourage diversity at every level, and even out some of the day to day prejudices black students face that majority students don't. But I come from a somewhat affluent background, and I get the same benefits as someone who has a lot less resources because we have the same color skin. I have a room mate who is asian, who had to work just as hard as I did (very) to get into and succeed in the undergrad we attended, and he wouldn't be able to get into nearly the LS I did because of race.

A friend of mine didn't report her race because she didn't feel that she was disadvantaged by her skin, and wanted to "earn" her admission. She got into a great school, but I told her that was insane because when white people look at her, they are going to assume she got in on her race anyway, so why not take advantage of it? She's not going to wear a big t shirt that says "I didn't check URM".

Sorry for the tangential rant, thanks again OP. So, from one URM to another, are you looked at differently in your firm because they assume you had a lower LSAT that your white peers? Do you feel that everyone looks at you as a diversity hire, and how can you combat this prejudice?

edit* controversial statement that came out wrong redacted, thanks for pointing it out
Last edited by 1800calturk on Fri May 21, 2010 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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La Grind Date

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by La Grind Date » Fri May 21, 2010 11:49 am

1800calturk wrote:I don't find any of the questions offensive, these are all great questions that are legitimate issues. In fact, this forum is the place to ask contraversial questions behind a shield of anonymity, because it may be inappropriate to ask future peers/employers questions like this.

I for one am very interested in how URMs are treated in the work place. I would also not be surprised if we're considered behind others for partner. And unlike many of my black friends, I don't blame racism or the white man directly. I think at some point, to solve this problem, they need to stop giving us such a boost in admissions. It's like how white people don't want black doctors because they assume that the black doctor did less well in school than a white doctor, and with race as a consideration, it's usually true.

I don't know, it's a difficult issue because on the one hand you want to encourage diversity at every level, and even out some of the day to day prejudices black students face that majority students don't. But I come from a somewhat affluent background, and I get the same benefits as someone who has a lot less resources because we have the same color skin. I have a room mate who is asian, who had to work just as hard as I did (very) to get into and succeed in the undergrad we attended, and he wouldn't be able to get into nearly the LS I did because of race.

A friend of mine didn't report her race because she didn't feel that she was disadvantaged by her skin, and wanted to "earn" her admission. She got into a great school, but I told her that was insane because when white people look at her, they are going to assume she got in on her race anyway, so why not take advantage of it? She's not going to wear a big t shirt that says "I didn't check URM".

Sorry for the tangential rant, thanks again OP. So, from one URM to another, are you looked at differently in your firm because they assume you had a lower LSAT that your white peers? Do you feel that everyone looks at you as a diversity hire, and how can you combat this prejudice?
at the risk of derailing this thread, i must say the underlined portion of your comments seem racist to me. do you have evidence to back that up?

brian urlacher's recent comments about gale sayer's criticism ( http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/n ... id=5204392 ) come to my mind: come on son, we don't need one of our own spouting this garbage.

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YCrevolution

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by YCrevolution » Fri May 21, 2010 12:17 pm

..

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BigFatPanda

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by BigFatPanda » Fri May 21, 2010 2:21 pm

:!:

ElecEng_2_IPAtty

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by ElecEng_2_IPAtty » Fri May 21, 2010 3:54 pm

No. Not at my firm, but that might happen at other big law firms.
trialjunky wrote:Thegovernor, please review post below:
trialjunky wrote:Why is this turning into a shit show? In this thread we should only do the following --> Ask questions to OP. Praise OP for answering questions.
End of story, anything else let's get it in on another thread.

If you legitimately want to have this conversation, start a thread and post a link here. All you’re doing right now is completely derailing this IMPORTANT thread.


OP, do you do the whole tennis/gold circuit with the senior attorneys/judges?

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by ElecEng_2_IPAtty » Fri May 21, 2010 4:02 pm

Pearalegal wrote:
merichard87 wrote:Are these posters making silly comments actually URM? What is the point in making a post regarding a topic that doesn't even apply to you? And to the poster who put up the hair pic; You thought the question was silly because you most likely don't have to think about the issue of expressing your personality and cultural identity or being accepted in corporate america.
Yeah, because all white people in corporate america enjoy looking like waspy tennis players. Gimme a break. Also, I didn't realize non-URMs aren't allowed to be interested and curious about their co-workers experiences that may differ from their own.

OP, thanks for answering questions. How are the diversity committees organized at your firm and generally what role do they play in your firms professional and social life?
The diversity committee is a very helpful resource for meeting other URMs (both partners and associates). At my firm, we meet quite often and talk about issues that are very relevant to all of us. We also have a mentoring program that makes sure every URM associate is paired with a URM partner mentor. The committee also handles organizing diversity retreats, recruiting events, etc. I have had a pretty good experience with the diversity committee at my firm.

Most big law firms are acutely aware of the lack of diversity in big law. We have spent HOURS talking about this issue and trying to come up with creative ways to increase our minority representation at the associate level and partner level.

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by ElecEng_2_IPAtty » Fri May 21, 2010 4:09 pm

SuperCool23 wrote:Is it hard finding time for family? and what were your #'s entering law school
On average, I work about 60 hours per week. I make sure I make time for my personal life. The only way you will have longevity in big law is to have a good work-life balance.

However, there are times that I work many more hours to make sure I meet deadlines and produce a good work product. It all depends on what I am working on. The good thing about patent prosecution is that it is easy to schedule your day, week, month, or even year. Litigation is very different. There are really busy months and fairly slow months. I usually use the slow months to catch up on patent prosecution and take a vacation.

My numbers...hmm...I will say this - they were good enough to get me into the majority of the tier 1 law schools I applied to.

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by ElecEng_2_IPAtty » Fri May 21, 2010 4:17 pm

SportsFanatic wrote:thanks for the insight OP.

As a URM what are some key aspects of a firm we should take into consideration when choosing where to start our career?
I would look at how long most associates stay at a firm before leaving to move on to somewhere else. This MAY (does not always) speak to the firm's culture and ability to keep their associates happy. I would also pay attention to how associates interact with each other, if possible, while you are visiting a firm on an interview. Do the associates seem happy, stressed out, annoyed? Again, this speaks to the firm's culture. Firm culture is very important since it is more likely that you will stay at a firm that offers a calm (relatively speaking) working environment. Ofcourse...this is just my opinion.

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Re: URM Big Law Attorney Taking Questions

Post by ElecEng_2_IPAtty » Fri May 21, 2010 4:30 pm

1800calturk wrote:I don't find any of the questions offensive, these are all great questions that are legitimate issues. In fact, this forum is the place to ask contraversial questions behind a shield of anonymity, because it may be inappropriate to ask future peers/employers questions like this.

I for one am very interested in how URMs are treated in the work place. I would also not be surprised if we're considered behind others for partner. And unlike many of my black friends, I don't blame racism or the white man directly. I think at some point, to solve this problem, they need to stop giving us such a boost in admissions. It's like how white people don't want black doctors because they assume that the black doctor did less well in school than a white doctor.

I don't know, it's a difficult issue because on the one hand you want to encourage diversity at every level, and even out some of the day to day prejudices black students face that majority students don't. But I come from a somewhat affluent background, and I get the same benefits as someone who has a lot less resources because we have the same color skin. I have a room mate who is asian, who had to work just as hard as I did (very) to get into and succeed in the undergrad we attended, and he wouldn't be able to get into nearly the LS I did because of race.

A friend of mine didn't report her race because she didn't feel that she was disadvantaged by her skin, and wanted to "earn" her admission. She got into a great school, but I told her that was insane because when white people look at her, they are going to assume she got in on her race anyway, so why not take advantage of it? She's not going to wear a big t shirt that says "I didn't check URM".

Sorry for the tangential rant, thanks again OP. So, from one URM to another, are you looked at differently in your firm because they assume you had a lower LSAT that your white peers? Do you feel that everyone looks at you as a diversity hire, and how can you combat this prejudice?

edit* controversial statement that came out wrong redacted, thanks for pointing it out
I dont think law firms think about lsat scores. Even if your lsat score was low and you managed to get into a Tier 1 law school, you still have to be able to perform well enough to earn a GPA that is high enough to get a big law offer.

I got my offer for a law clerk position before grades came out my 1L year in law school. At the time (and even now), having an electrical engineering degree and solid engineering work experience was sufficient to land a top vault firm law clerk position. I was required to submit my transcripts from law school at the end of every year. Since my law school grades were good, I kept the job and received an offer to become an associate.

I understand your concern, but I dont think it is an issue. Your grades become top priority once you are in law school and looking to get a big law offer.

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