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Hey TLSers. I have a quick question. I will hopefully be working for a firm which has about 8 partners and 16 associates. It is a full-service litigation firm, focusing on defense. I will be hired as an entry-level first-year associate since I am straight out of law school. I have not worked in a law firm environment before. The partner that I will be working with mostly focuses on certain litigation categories.

My question is: Will I be solely responsible to this partner? I am not sure how many associates he has working for him, but if I need guidance on how to craft a certain document, etc., do I speak to this same partner or to another associate who is a senior than me that is also assigned to work in the same area/department? I am very confused about this. I don't want to annoy the partner with many questions. He does not seem one to micro manage either. Please help, so I don't sound confused when I go in. Your insight is much appreciated.

Lastly, if anyone wants to shed some insight... what is expected in a full-service defense litigation firm with about 8 partners and 16 associates? Are they super busy because of the many partners.. and are they likely to bill hours as supposed to contingency? Sorry for my ignorance.

Where your work comes from is entirely dependent on the firm--I would expect to receive work from at least a few partners though.

Almost always better to ask advice from a senior associate before a partner, especially if they are also assigned to the same case.

It's impossible to say how busy it is. One great partner can keep 50 attorneys busy, others might not generate any business at all.

Defence firms usually operate on billable hours, not contingency.

Jinjuice wrote:Hey TLSers. I have a quick question. I will hopefully be working for a firm which has about 8 partners and 16 associates. It is a full-service litigation firm, focusing on defense. I will be hired as an entry-level first-year associate since I am straight out of law school. I have not worked in a law firm environment before. The partner that I will be working with mostly focuses on certain litigation categories.

My question is: Will I be solely responsible to this partner? I am not sure how many associates he has working for him, but if I need guidance on how to craft a certain document, etc., do I speak to this same partner or to another associate who is a senior than me that is also assigned to work in the same area/department? I am very confused about this. I don't want to annoy the partner with many questions. He does not seem one to micro manage either. Please help, so I don't sound confused when I go in. Your insight is much appreciated.

Lastly, if anyone wants to shed some insight... what is expected in a full-service defense litigation firm with about 8 partners and 16 associates? Are they super busy because of the many partners.. and are they likely to bill hours as supposed to contingency? Sorry for my ignorance.

I think these are thoughtful questions, and the most helpful insights/answers will likely come from associates at your firm. Hopefully you are assigned a mentor-type person that can give you some specific advice or point you in the best direction. If not, you can offer to take an associate in your group to lunch/drinks/coffee to get to know them and pick their brain.

There isn't one approach/method that will work for all partners/senior lawyers. In fact, I imagine the answers to your questions will depend partner-to-partner within your firm.

A big turning point for mid-level associates is learning to adapt to the assigning person's preferred working style (whether that's the partner, senior associate, or the client directly). A perceived strength to one partner/client may be a weakness to another (for example--one partner may want to stay in the loop as much as possible and prefers you over-communicate than under-communicate; another may get annoyed with the same amount/quality of information that that the other partner would expect and attribute this to lack of judgment/inability to filter noise for substance). It just depends.

While the most effective observations will come over time first-hand (by watching, digesting and then making adjustments to your work and communication style), the best option in the interim is to ask the associates who (hopefully) have already done this homework for you and can give you tips.

On your last question, it totally depends on your client and type of work your firm handles. It also depends on the partners and the quality of case management. Also, even if you have a contingency arrangement, you should still expect to "bill" hours (i.e., keep track of your time) for the case.