So a attorney/associate job is essentially a sales position? Forum

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Lawgiver1981

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So a attorney/associate job is essentially a sales position?

Post by Lawgiver1981 » Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:46 am

When you get hired by a firm, that attorney/associate finds clients and gets 30% of any fees or judgements which result?

If you don’t get clients, you don’t get paid, so in essence a sales position.

Am I correct on that?

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RCSOB657

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Re: So a attorney/associate job is essentially a sales position?

Post by RCSOB657 » Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:48 am

You're selling your professional services, didn't think this was new.

nixy

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Re: So a attorney/associate job is essentially a sales position?

Post by nixy » Sun Jul 01, 2018 10:32 am

Lawgiver1981 wrote:When you get hired by a firm, that attorney/associate finds clients and gets 30% of any fees or judgements which result?

If you don’t get clients, you don’t get paid, so in essence a sales position.

Am I correct on that?
Not literally, at a lot of firms, no. Most firms pay associates salaries apart from whether the associate brings in clients. In the long run, you need to have a book of business to succeed (make partner) in most firms, but it's not as cut and dried as "your pay = 30% of clients that come in the door." (Although there are some, smaller firms that do operate this way.)

uncle_rico

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Re: So a attorney/associate job is essentially a sales position?

Post by uncle_rico » Sun Jul 01, 2018 11:18 am

Lawgiver1981 wrote:When you get hired by a firm, that attorney/associate finds clients and gets 30% of any fees or judgements which result?

If you don’t get clients, you don’t get paid, so in essence a sales position.

Am I correct on that?
In the way that you’ve described it, then yes almost any profession is a sales job

hoos89

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Re: So a attorney/associate job is essentially a sales position?

Post by hoos89 » Sun Jul 01, 2018 6:34 pm

What you've described sounds like a smaller firm. Large firms don't compensate associates like this and you aren't expected to have clients until later (and even then, clientless service partners exist). There's also government, PI and in-house jobs where you don't really get clients.

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Re: So a attorney/associate job is essentially a sales position?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:07 pm

You’re selling your own services/capabilities. People who are said to work sales are selling products others created.

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