First Generation Lawyers and Law Students Forum

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Share experiences and seek insight regarding your experience as a First Generation lawyer, law student, or prospective applicant, or create a new thread.

[AuthorDWRandolph]

First generation law students and attorneys will find a lot of useful info in the book Big Law Confidential about the experience of being first gen and seeking a job in, or working in, Big Law. One of the most helpful lessons to learn is that it's important to work hard and do excellent work, but it's also important to get out from behind the desk and build relationships with other attorneys and clients. People like to work with people they like, and people like to work with people like them.

Many years ago, I knew one first gen attorney that went to their first summer associate lunch at a fancy restaurant and didn't know which fork to use, or which bread plate was theirs, because they grew up very poor and had never eaten a meal with proper dining table place settings before. They had to sit there and wait for everyone else to go first, picking up their forks and bread, to figure out which were theirs, by process of elimination. It used to be the case that if you were a first-gen attorney, you were pretty much on your own to figure these sorts of things out (often, the "hard way"). Knowing which fork to use is a low-stakes matter, but there are lots of higher-stakes lessons to be learned in Big Law.

Now, there are lots of successful first gen attorneys at Big Law firms, including many equity partners, and the numbers seem to be growing all the time. Some Big Law firms even have first gen attorney employee resource groups now. If you're considering pursuing a job in Big Law, or currently working at a Big Law firm, connect with other first gen lawyers (particularly those a few years ahead of you who can help you, share tips, etc.), and then help other first-gen lawyers who come after you.

First gen attorneys have made a lot of strides toward achieving a more equal playing field with legacy attorneys, but legacy attorneys still have numerous advantages. The book Big Law Confidential provides inside info on Big Law that seeks to level the playing field for all attorneys.

[nixy]

Please stop hawking your book.

[comingoffalittleshy]

but what if it's a great book?

[HoneyBadgerEatSnake]

I’m a first-gen lawyer, AmLaw/Vault top 20 firm in NYC. I’m reading the book now. It’s legit. Some of it is so, so helpful. Especially for first gen’ers. Wish I’d had this book was I was a law student/summer/junior associate.