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[baal hadad]

Isnt this the driving appeal of quinn/boies/irell/munger

Why are people talking about small firms and shit

i have bad news for you...

Cr bro

Cr

[Desert Fox]

Quinn must have PR mastermen. They do good work, but its an unprestigious shithold for associates.

[baal hadad]

Quinn must have PR mastermen. They do good work, but its an unprestigious shithold for associates.

Flip flops tho

[Mal Reynolds]

Is IP lit different? Does any specialty lit practice give you good experience?

[El Pollito]

Is IP lit different? Does any specialty lit practice give you good experience?

Of course. Why would you want the guy who did miscellaneous shit for five years over someone who has a specialty?

[Mal Reynolds]

I guess my question is what are those specialties.

[Desert Fox]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

[baal hadad]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

Def specialize

General lit is on the way out

[ymmv]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

This is good to hear. People keep saying its a huge mistake to get locked into a specialty or niche practice early on, that it's better to get "transferable" lit experience, keep lateral options open, etc. Any truth to this at all? Because frankly some of the niche specialties at my firm sound at least marginally more interesting than generic commercial lit.

[A. Nony Mouse]

A little courtroom experience is important, but the more I practice, the more I feel like the important skills are either something you're born with or something you're not. Debate team, moot court, public speaking experience, all of that can polish a turd a little bit, but it doesn't make a good trial attorney. If someone has "it," he can walk out of law school, or out of three years in biglaw, and hold his own in the courtroom with some minimal training/experience.

I know I'm late to this, but I don't really agree. I think experience makes a huge difference. I'm sure there are some savants who can walk into the courtroom and do very well, and some people are going to be terrible no matter what. But courtroom stuff is like anything else - you can learn a lot and effort goes a long way.

[NotMyRealName09]

Yeah probably. I've tangled with some good ones with good claims who we settle with, and I've dealt with some amazingly shitty, incompetent ones who probably see more court in a year than I will in my life. Quantity and quality of experience are factors too. DUI trial experience is valuable, but that experience may not translate to dealing with a more complex, higher dollar value commercial cases. Small-law (I don't like "shitlaw") may deal in more high-volume cases and get more day-in day-out court experience, but they may not have the resources to prosecute larger, more complex cases. There's a sliding scale, that's all I'm saying.

Fair enough. My point was only that, in many cases, courtroom experience isn't a good measure of courtroom skill. One of the most prolific criminal defense attorneys in my area is also uniformly regarded as one of the worst, if not the absolute worst. The best is a guy who has a trial maybe once every 3-4 years.

I'm guessing I am much more skilled in the courtroom than the vast majority of biglaw associates, but who knows. I've been surprised before. I've surprised others before. I've just learned to never underestimate other attorneys, overestimate other attorneys, or get caught up on who's "better" than others. It matters a little bit, but unlike the movies, lawyers don't really win (civil) cases. Granted, some can lose cases.

A little courtroom experience is important, but the more I practice, the more I feel like the important skills are either something you're born with or something you're not. Debate team, moot court, public speaking experience, all of that can polish a turd a little bit, but it doesn't make a good trial attorney. If someone has "it," he can walk out of law school, or out of three years in biglaw, and hold his own in the courtroom with some minimal training/experience.

I'm not up on my Sun Tzu, but I'm pretty sure he said something like "make your opponent underestimate your strength, then kill them when they act on it." I think he also said "kick ass, and then, only if there is time, take names." I think we both agree that we'd rather not let them see us coming.

[NotMyRealName09]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

Def specialize

General lit is on the way out

They've been saying for a decade

[patogordo]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

Def specialize

General lit is on the way out

They've been saying for a decade

It's a big ladder, takes time to pull it up

[Cogburn87]

They've been saying for a decade

They were right

[baal hadad]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

Def specialize

General lit is on the way out

They've been saying for a decade

They're not wrong

It's pretty much out bro

The only people I know who bill themselves as "general commercial lit" ar old duders

[baal hadad]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

Def specialize

General lit is on the way out

They've been saying for a decade

It's a big ladder, takes time to pull it up

Lold bro

[Anonymous User]

Is IP lit different? Does any specialty lit practice give you good experience?

My IP lit boutique has first years taking deps and associates arguing Markmans. At trial it's *mostly* partners but senior associates occasionally have actual trial roles.

[Anonymous User]

A second year at my small firm is the lead drafter of a reply in a federal court of appeals, millions at stake. He likes his job.

[Anonymous User]

Why do people choose Lit then?

Also, do the advantages to going corporate hold for firms with more respected lit practices than corporate ones, like Paul Weiss.

[baal hadad]

Why do people choose Lit then?

Also, do the advantages to going corporate hold for firms with more respected lit practices than corporate ones, like Paul Weiss.

Bc corporate isn't being a lawyer

[NotMyRealName09]

In specialties, you don't really have more trial experience or client experience etc. but you do at least have substantive knowledge of the specialty.

Def specialize

General lit is on the way out

They've been saying for a decade

They're not wrong

It's pretty much out bro

The only people I know who bill themselves as "general commercial lit" ar old duders

No one calls themselves a general commercial litigator anymore because it's passé, we're all specialists now - according to our profiles.

[NotMyRealName09]

Why do people choose Lit then?

Also, do the advantages to going corporate hold for firms with more respected lit practices than corporate ones, like Paul Weiss.

Bc corporate isn't being a lawyer

I feel this way too. Go to court, defend a right, or you aren't a lawyer.

[patogordo]

Is IP lit different? Does any specialty lit practice give you good experience?

My IP lit boutique has first years taking deps and associates arguing Markmans. At trial it's *mostly* partners but senior associates occasionally have actual trial roles.

welp there's your answer people, just go work at an IP boutique

[ymmv]

Why do people choose Lit then?

Also, do the advantages to going corporate hold for firms with more respected lit practices than corporate ones, like Paul Weiss.

Bc corporate isn't being a lawyer

And not everyone wants to work in NYC.

[star fox]

Why do people choose Lit then?

Also, do the advantages to going corporate hold for firms with more respected lit practices than corporate ones, like Paul Weiss.

Bc corporate isn't being a lawyer

So you trade exit options to "be a lawyer"?