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Attempting to start a thread with SAs who choose to work at the family firm.

I am the only SA at my family’s firm. Since the firm is located a good an hour from here I can work from my apt most days. I stay in touch with cohorts that traveled home to SA for their family’s firm (some as the only SA and a couple that work with other SAs). After nearly two weeks, our general observation is that we are doing the same work as the paralegals (but we’re not nearly one-tenth as knowledgeable). We get to review all the research and read the memos generated by the paralegals (not sure if that is available to SAs at non-family firms, is it?)

There has been a fair amount of discussion on whether we should have opted to SA for an outside firm. Opinions vary from it’s a good idea because of the added experience others felt it would be unfair since we’d likely jump ship after the bar. Both points seem valid. Perhaps there is the advantage of being able to walk in and ask questions (or disagree to some extent) in a way I couldn’t if the boss was a stranger. The other point is that we can take a couple of vacation weeks off during our SA.

Since this a learning experience, any SA with a perspective on working for a firm, please join in.

As an afterthought I wanted to ask, did you choose your law school because it was near home, the highest ranked school you were accepted to or the school offering the biggest break in their tuition? I choose the latter.

(Flipped a coin between legal employment and law school forum).

Peyton wrote:The other point is that we can take a couple of vacation weeks off during our SA.

would you be in the only SA at your family's firm? if not, you probably shouldn't do this

You might be right. Considering that they have never had an SA before, I figure it wouldn’t be a problem (they’ve lasted this long without one). But it is a good question. I really haven’t checked with other SAs if they were taking any vacation time off, I just assumed they would. However, it might be nose to the grindstone, family firm or not. Then there are those whose family is situated (in one form or another) at a Big Law firm. Being an SA at a very large firm must present some unique situations... do they get to come and go as they please or do they feel more under the gun then the other SAs.

I also have to wonder about those who could have opted for the family firm but decided to SA outside the family... whether they like it, or not.

I assume the percentage of SAs working for the family is probably pretty low and particularly small low on a web site like this with only a couple hundred people logged on. But still, worth a shot.

Quick Edit: How many assignments did you work on during your first week?