The Law Student And Young Attorneys Assistant And Guide

Previous editions published : 1998 (2nd) ; 1989 (1st).

The Essential Associate is for young lawyers who aspire to grow, succeed, and advance on a partnership track at a law firm. It addresses the dual imperatives that young lawyers must grapple with: becoming an excellent lawyer and developing a book of business. Building mastery as a lawyer and building a book of business both take a long time. No longer can young lawyers sit back and wait for opportunities. But never before have more tools and resources been available that allow entrepreneurial-minded lawyers to stand out and succeed. From attorney, coach, and legal marketing expert Jay Harrington, The Essential Associate is a step-by-step guide that helps young lawyers, and law students preparing for a career in the law, not just survive, but thrive in today's competitive law firm environment. It includes insights from dozens of successful lawyers at firms across the country, general counsel at Fortune 500 companies, and top consultants to the legal industry. The Essential Associate has been praised by successful lawyers at law firms of all sizes. Foley & Lardner partner William McKenna calls it, "A must-read for every new "Biglaw" associate and, for that matter, young associates at every size firm." McKenna believes that, "If every young associate reads this book within the first six months of beginning practice, and put its lessons to work in their daily practice, their careers will benefit immeasurably." The Essential Associate is an indispensable tool for any young lawyer hoping to achieve success in today's competitive legal marketplace. PRAISE FOR THE ESSENTIAL ASSOCIATE "Jay Harrington's insights on how to become an Essential Associate are spot on. He provides practical advice on what action steps to take to succeed in becoming a valuable team member and a better lawyer." Brian McCarthy, Managing Partner L.A. Office, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom "Jay has been there, done it, and learned from it. His gift is succinctly communicating his and others' lessons learned. An enjoyable read that will help you succeed." Scott Wolfson, Partner at Wolfson Bolton "The Essential Associate is a must-read for anyone starting a legal career or hoping to take their career to the next level. It's highly practical, and brimming with concrete advice from high-performing law firm partners on the qualities they are looking for in young lawyers. The first step to a successful legal career is graduating from law school. The next is reading The Essential Associate." Felicia Perlman, Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom "Making the transition from a legal philosopher (law school) to a legal practitioner is the hardest step every lawyer must make. The Essential Associate is a vital resource to facilitate that process." Paul H. Burton, Founder of QuietSpacing, LLC "The Essential Associate combines a wealth of practical insights into a readable story well attributed to interesting historical figures, giants of industry, and hands-on practitioners who have been in the trenches in recent years dealing with a profession that has become a business." William Gilbride, Partner at Abbott Nicholson "If you're a new associate looking for fundamental advice on how to get ahead, The Essential Associate is a great place to start." Keith Lee, Attorney, Author, and Founder of Associate's Mind and LawyerSmack "The Essential Associate is a must read for every new BigLaw associate and, for that matter, young associates at every size firm. It combines clear guidelines and action steps with real-life insights from a wide range of attorneys who have spent years navigating the shoals of legal practice. If every young associate reads this book within the first six months of beginning practice, and put its lessons to work in their daily practice, their careers will benefit immeasurably." William McKenna, Partner at Foley & Lardne

Publisher Description

Drawn from the author's many years in training and developing junior associates, this book provides insight into some of the most common problems that can affect the career development of new lawyers, and offers practical advice for navigating the crucial first years. Bennett offers practical guidance on topics from determining whether firm life is the right fit to preparing for partnership. Tips and strategies for honing communication and presentation skills, managing your time, and networking effectively will help make the culture work for you and ensure a path to success. Freshly minted J.D.s may be well prepared for the technical and procedural aspects of practicing law, but the real world of law firm culture is bound to offer some surprises. Drawn from the author's many years in training and developing junior associates, this book provides insight into some of the most common problems that can affect the career development of new lawyers, and offers practical advice for navigating the crucial first years. Bennett offers practical guidance on topics from determining whether firm life is the right fit to preparing for partnership. Tips and strategies for honing communication and presentation skills, managing your time, and networking effectively will help make the culture work for you and ensure a path to success. Bennett picks up where the formal education process leaves off. Presenting a wide variety of scenarios and situations, he shows how to read the unspoken signals that reflect relationships of power and influence, and how to tap into them. He also advocates a solid grounding in the basics, covering such practical skills as writing memoranda, managing meetings, handling delegation of work, and receiving constructive criticism, while developing a reputation for being dependable, organized, clear-thinking, and enthusiastic. The result is a lively and eminently useful guide that will help you avoid job-killing moves, set and achieve realistic goals, and build a fulfilling legal career.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Completely revised and updated, So You Want to Be a Lawyer takes you through the process of becoming a lawyer, examining each phase in a helpful and easy-to-understand narrative. Find out what practicing law is like before you step into your first law school class. Practice solving legal problems as law students would in law school and lawyers might in an actual courtroom. Find out how to get into law school. And there’s much more: •Advice on how to select a law school, along with names and addresses of American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law schools •An explanation of the law school admissions process, and ways to improve your chances for getting in •Practical exercises and advice that will give you a head start over other first-year law students •Information about career opportunities as a lawyer Written by three experienced lawyers, this book will help you understand the types of problems facing law students and lawyers on a daily basis. Not only will it prepare you for law school, but it will also become your trusted guide on the path to becoming a successful lawyer.