[Please delete] Forum

[WhirledWorld]

.

[stillwater]

It's TV.

[cinephile]

The Good Wife is better.

[ph14]

Obviously as a TV show it gets the law and some of the practical stuff wrong, but I'm wondering how accurate its depictions of office social structures and politics is. Are there partners who openly hate each other? Associates openly worrying about being laid off at the office? Gossip about everything?

I mean I know office politics affect any work environment, but it seems like Suits might not be a huge exaggeration, given Biglaw's big egos and big stresses.

I've only seen a couple episodes but it does not seem very accurate in any way whatsoever, which is one of the reasons I had to stop watching.

[desertlaw]

Obviously as a TV show it gets the law and some of the practical stuff wrong, but I'm wondering how accurate its depictions of office social structures and politics is. Are there partners who openly hate each other? Associates openly worrying about being laid off at the office? Gossip about everything?

I mean I know office politics affect any work environment, but it seems like Suits might not be a huge exaggeration, given Biglaw's big egos and big stresses.

I've only seen a couple episodes but it does not seem very accurate in any way whatsoever, which is one of the reasons I had to stop watching.

Well maybe all of us can make BigLaw more like Suits? If you're a first year who sees a depressed partner, go talk him through his problems. If you're a paralegal, sleep with a lot of people. If you're a senior partner, hire a savant who doesn't have a JD and fake that he does (defend him 100% and put your career at risk for this wiz-kid).

WE CAN DO THIS!

[chadbrochill]

Well maybe all of us can make BigLaw more like Suits? If you're a first year who sees a depressed partner, go talk him through his problems. If you're a paralegal, sleep with a lot of people. If you're a senior partner, hire a savant who doesn't have a JD and fake that he does (defend him 100% and put your career at risk for this wiz-kid).

WE CAN DO THIS!

[ph14]

Obviously as a TV show it gets the law and some of the practical stuff wrong, but I'm wondering how accurate its depictions of office social structures and politics is. Are there partners who openly hate each other? Associates openly worrying about being laid off at the office? Gossip about everything?

I mean I know office politics affect any work environment, but it seems like Suits might not be a huge exaggeration, given Biglaw's big egos and big stresses.

I've only seen a couple episodes but it does not seem very accurate in any way whatsoever, which is one of the reasons I had to stop watching.

Well maybe all of us can make BigLaw more like Suits? If you're a first year who sees a depressed partner, go talk him through his problems. If you're a paralegal, sleep with a lot of people. If you're a senior partner, hire a savant who doesn't have a JD and fake that he does (defend him 100% and put your career at risk for this wiz-kid).

WE CAN DO THIS!

Career and almost certainly massive malpractice liability.

[WhirledWorld]

.

[FlightoftheEarls]

I was talking more about the partner-partner and partner-associate relations. Obviously there's a ton of crap that's totally wrong.

No. Among other reasons, biglaw is so leveraged and hierarchical that it's nothing even remotely like what you see in the show. I would say the sort of dynamic they present there -- where there's apparently like, 3 partners and 4 associates and who all know each other and constantly "work" on everything together -- is probably much more likely to be found in a very small firm. And, as far as the work goes, let's just say you will never (as a first year or otherwise) spend your time running around town calling on adverse parties or their affiliates to trick them into divulging information that can help you leverage a settlement out of your $65,000 divorce case.

The only thing about Suits (or the Good Wife) that is even remotely close to biglaw is the fancy building.

[WhirledWorld]

.

[ph14]

I was talking more about the partner-partner and partner-associate relations. Obviously there's a ton of crap that's totally wrong.

No. Among other reasons, biglaw is so leveraged and hierarchical that it's nothing even remotely like what you see in the show. I would say the sort of dynamic they present there -- where there's apparently like, 3 partners and 4 associates and who all know each other and constantly "work" on everything together -- is probably much more likely to be found in a very small firm. And, as far as the work goes, let's just say you will never (as a first year or otherwise) spend your time running around town calling on adverse parties or their affiliates to trick them into divulging information that can help you leverage a settlement out of your $65,000 divorce case.

The only thing about Suits (or the Good Wife) that is even remotely close to biglaw is the fancy building.

Well, yeah, there's a ton of stuff that's nothing like actual biglaw--like work assignments, paralegals having window offices, savants BSing their way into Biglaw, etc. etc. I was more wondering if biglaw firms have open tensions between partners or groups of partners--i.e. politics.

Yes, firms have politics; no, it's not like Suits. It's certainly much more subtle.

[Anonymous User]

I don't watch the show but my firm has insane politics. Many people fucking each other literally and figuratively.

[Anonymous User]

Well, yeah, there's a ton of stuff that's nothing like actual biglaw--like work assignments, paralegals having window offices, savants BSing their way into Biglaw, etc. etc. I was more wondering if biglaw firms have open tensions between partners or groups of partners--i.e. politics.

After receiving another unambiguously negative response, WhirledWorld reflects, then responds perceptively, "Well, yeah, I know Suits doesn't accurately reflect BigLaw, given that it's a TV show, but I was more wondering, do biglaw firms have PEOPLE working at them, and do those people sometimes get into arguments or dislike each other?"

god, the number of times my dad has ranted about what I'm doing wrong with my legal career based on "that one episode of Law and Order" he saw...lay people may equate TV with life, but law students should know better.

[bruinfan10]

sorry, hit anon by accident, the above was me.