1/27/2017 Vanderbilt Law Review

VanderbiltLawReview
May,1999

ONBEINGAHAPPY,HEALTHY,ANDETHICALMEMBEROFANUNHAPPY,UNHEALTHY,ANDUNETHICAL
PROFESSION

PatrickJ.Schiltz

DearLawStudent:

Ihavegoodnewsandbadnews.Thebadnewsisthattheprofessionthatyouareabouttoenterisoneofthemostunhappyand
unhealthyonthefaceoftheearthand,intheviewofmany,oneofthemostunethical.Thegoodnewsisthatyoucanjointhis
professionandstillbehappy,healthy,andethical.Iamwritingtotellyouhow.

I.TheWellBeingofLawyers

Lawyersplayanenormouslyimportantroleinoursociety.Itisthelawyerswhorunourcivilizationforusourgovernments,our
business,ourprivatelives.Thusyoumightexpectthatalotofpeoplewouldbeconcernedaboutthephysicalandmentalhealthof
lawyers.Youwouldbewrong.Contrarytotheoldjoke,scientistshavenotreplacedlaboratoryratswithlawyers,andmedicalliterature
haslittletosayaboutthewellbeingofattorneys....[L]egalscholarshipalsohaslittletosayaboutthewellbeingofattorneys.

Ifonelookshardenough,though,onecanscratchupsomeinformationaboutthehealthandhappinessofattorneys.Andthis
informationalthoughrathersparseand,insomecases,oflimitedvaluestronglysuggeststhatlawyersareinremarkablypoorhealth
andquiteunhappy.

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A.Lawyers'PoorHealth

1.Depression

LawyersseemtobeamongthemostdepressedpeopleinAmerica.In1990,researchersaffiliatedwithJohnsHopkinsUniversity
studiedtheprevalenceofmajordepressivedisorder(MDD)across104occupations.Theydiscoveredthat,althoughonlyabout3%to
5%ofthegeneralpopulationsuffersfromMDD,theprevalenceofMDDexceeds10%infiveoccupations:dataentrykeyers,computer
equipmentoperators,typists,prekindergartenandspecialeducationteachers,andlawyers.Whentheresultswereadjustedforage,
gender,education,andrace/ethnicbackgroundtodeterminetowhatextentthoseineachoccupationweremoredepressedthanothers
whosharedtheirmostimportantsociodemographictraits,onlythreeoccupationswerediscoveredtohavestatisticallysignificant
elevationsofMDD:lawyers,prekindergartenandspecialeducationteachers,andsecretaries.Lawyerstoppedthelist,sufferingfrom
MDDatarate3.6timeshigherthannonlawyerswhosharedtheirkeysociodemographictraits.Theresearchersdidnotknowwhether
lawyersweredepressedbecausepersonsathighriskformajordepressivedisorderareattractedtothelegalprofessionorbecause
practicinglawcausesorprecipitatesdepression.Theyjustknewthat,whateverthereason,lawyersweredepressed.

Otherstudieshaveproducedsimilarresults...AstudyoflawstudentsandpracticinglawyersinArizonadiscoveredthatwhen
studentsenterlawschool,theysufferfromdepressionatapproximatelythesamerateasthegeneralpopulation.However,bythespring
ofthefirstyearoflawschool,32%oflawstudentssufferfromdepression,andbythespringofthethirdyearoflawschool,thefigure
escalatestoanastonishing40%.Twoyearsaftergraduation,therateofdepressionfalls,butonlyto17%,orroughlydoublethelevel
ofthegeneralpopulation.

...

2.AnxietyandOtherMentalIllness

Depressionisnottheonlyemotionalimpairmentthatseemstobemoreprevalentamonglawyersthanamongthegeneral
population.TheArizonastudyalsofoundelevatedratesofanxiety,hostility,andparanoiaamonglawstudentsandlawyers.Over25%
ofNorthCarolinalawyersreportedthattheyhadexperiencedphysicalsymptomsofextremeanxiety(includingtremblinghands,racing
hearts,clammyhands,andfaintness)atleastthreetimespermonthduringthepastyear.AndtheWashingtonstudyfoundindiciaof
anxiety,socialalienationandisolation,obsessivecompulsiveness,paranoidideation,interpersonalsensitivity,phobicanxiety,and
hostilityinalarmingratesamonglawyersratesmanytimesthenationalnorms.Forexample:

(T)hebaserate(inthegeneralpopulation)forobsessivecompulsivenessis1.42%,yetnearly21%ofthemalelawyersand
15%ofthefemalelawyersinthestudyscoreabovetheclinicalcutoffonthemeasureofobsessivecompulsiveness.Thesame
patternexistsinregardtogeneralizedanxietydisorderwherethebaserateis4%,while30%ofthemalelawyersandnearly20%
ofthefemalelawyersinthestudyreportscoresabovetheclinicalcutoffonthemeasureofanxiety.

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Needlesstosay,thesestudiesgive()substantialindicationofaprofessionoperatingatextremelyhighlevelsofpsychological
distress.

3.AlcoholismandDrugAbuse

Lawyersappeartobeprodigiousdrinkers.TheNorthCarolinastudyreportedthatalmost17%oflawyersadmittedtodrinking
threetofivealcoholicbeverageseveryday.Oneresearcherconservativelyestimatedthat15%oflawyersarealcoholics.Thestudyof
Washingtonlawyersfoundthat18%wereproblemdrinkers,apercentagealmosttwicetheapproximately10percentalcoholabuse
and/ordependencyprevalenceratesestimatedforadultsintheUnitedStates...

Littleisknownaboutthefrequencywithwhichlawyersuseillegaldrugs,butthelittlethatisknownisnotencouraging....

4.Divorce

Marriageisgoodforpeople.(T)heresearchonmarriageisstriking.Fordecades,studieshaveshownthatthemarriedlivelonger
andhavealowerriskofavarietyofphysicalandpsychologicalillnessesthantheunmarried.Also,thosewhoaremarriedreport
higherlevelsofcareersatisfactionthanthosewhoaresingle.TheNorthCarolinastudyconfirmedthatwhatistrueforpeoplegenerally
isalsotrueforlawyersspecifically:Amonglawyers,changingfromsingletomarriedstatusdirectlyincreaseshappinessand
satisfactionwithlife.Marriagealsoleadstogreaterjobandcareersatisfaction...andimproveshealth.TheNorthCarolinastudy
identifiedunmarriedlawyersasoneofthreecategoriesoflawyersleastsatisfiedwiththeirlives.

Likewise,divorceisbadforpeople,bothphysicallyandpsychologically(and,forwomen,economically).Thosewhodivorcedie
youngerthaneitherthosewhonevermarryorthosewhostaymarried.Indeed,theimpactofgettingdivorcedonlifeexpectancyis
onlyslightlylessharmful...thansmokingapackormoreofcigarettesperday....Psychologically,divorceisdevastating:Ofall
thesocialvariablesrelatingtotheincidenceofpsychiatricdisorders,orpsychopathology,inthepopulation,noneappearstobemore
crucialthanmaritalstatus....And,notsurprising,thesuiciderateofthosewhoaredivorcedisalmosttripletherateofthosewhoare
married,andsignificantlyhigherthantheratesofthosewhohavenevermarriedorbeenwidowed.

Althoughempiricalresearchissparse,thereissomeindicationthatthedivorcerateamonglawyersishigherthanthedivorcerate
amongotherprofessionals.FeliciaBakerLeClereofNotreDame'sCenterfortheStudyofContemporarySocietycomparedthe
incidenceofdivorceamonglawyerstotheincidenceofdivorceamongdoctors,usingdatafromthe1990census.LeClerefoundthat
thepercentageoflawyerswhoaredivorcedishigherthanthepercentageofdoctorswhoaredivorcedandthatthedifferenceis
particularlypronouncedamongwomen.Forexample,over16%offemaleattorneysbetweentheagesofthirtyfiveandfortynineare
divorced,ascomparedto11%offemaledoctorsinthesameagerange.Similarly,amongagesfiftytosixtyfour,over24%offemale
lawyersaredivorced,ascomparedtoabout15%offemaledoctors.

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5.Suicide

Lawyersreportedlythinkaboutcommittingsuicideandcommitsuicidefarmoreoftenthandononlawyers....

6.PhysicalHealth

Theextremelylimitedinformationthatisavailableindicatesthatthephysicalhealthoflawyersmaynotbemuchbetterthantheir
emotionalhealth.Asnoted,substantialnumbersoflawyersreportsufferingphysicalsymptomsofdepressionandanxiety,suchas
appetiteloss,tremblinghands,racinghearts,andthelike.Butlawyersalsoseemnottoexercisemuchandtosufferfromulcers,
coronaryarterydisease,andhypertensioninsubstantialnumbers....

Insum,attorneysseemtobeanunhealthylot.Researchersdonotknowwhetherlawyersareunhealthybecauseunhealthypeople
areattractedtothelegalprofessionorbecausesomethingaboutthepracticeoflawturnshealthypeopleintounhealthypeople.Butthe
fewresearcherswhohavestudiedthelegalprofessionareunanimousthatlawyersare,asagroup,inremarkablypoorhealth.

B.Lawyers'Unhappiness

Peoplewhoarethisunhealthypeoplewhosufferfromdepression,anxiety,alcoholism,drugabuse,divorce,andsuicidetothis
extentarealmostbydefinitionunhappy.Itshouldnotbesurprising,then,thatlawyersareindeedunhappy,norshoulditbesurprising
thatthesourceoftheirunhappinessseemstobetheonethingthattheyhaveincommon:theirworkaslawyers.Worksatisfaction
affectslifesatisfaction.Almostacenturyago,RussianplaywrightMaximGorkywrote:Whenworkisapleasure,lifeisajoy!When
workisaduty,lifeisslavery.IfGorkywasright,thenlifeformanylawyersisslavery,asjobdissatisfactionamonglawyersis
widespread,profoundandgrowingworse.

AstudyofCalifornialawyersbytheRANDInstituteforCivilJusticefoundthatonlyhalfsayiftheyhadtodoitover,theywould
becomelawyers....AlmostaquarterofNorthCarolinalawyerssaidthat,ifgiventhechoice,theywouldnotbecomeattorneysagain
almosthalfsaidthattheyhopetoleavethepracticeoflawbeforetheendoftheircareersandover40%saidthattheywouldnot
encouragetheirchildrenorotherqualifiedpersonstoenterthelegalprofession.Alongthesamelines,anationwidepollofattorneys
conductedbytheNationalLawJournalfoundthatlessthanathirdofthosesurveyedwereverysatisfiedwiththeircareers.

...

Themostcomprehensivedataoncareersatisfactionoflawyerswereproducedbythreenationalsurveysconductedunderthe
auspicesoftheYoungLawyersDivisionoftheAmericanBarAssociation(ABA).Thefirstsurvey,conductedin1984,asked3000
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lawyersofallagessomeofwhomwereABAmembersandsomeofwhomwerenotaboutjobsatisfactionandmanyothermatters.It
was,accordingtotheABA,thefirstindepthsurveyofthelegalprofessioninordertoaccuratelystudythestateoftheprofessionand
determinetheextentofcareerdissatisfaction.Thesecondsurvey,conductedin1990,resurveyedthosewhohadrespondedtothe1984
survey,andalsoquestionedjustover1000lawyerswhohadbeenadmittedtothebarafterthe1984surveyhadbeenconcluded.The
thirdsurvey,conductedin1995,wasmorelimited.OnlyyounglawyerswhobelongedtotheABAwerequestionedyoung
lawyersbeingdefinedasthosewhowereundertheageofthirtysixorwhohadbeenadmittedtopracticeforlessthanthreeyears.
Moreover,thefocusofthe1995surveywasnarrowerthanthefocusofthe1984and1990surveys.

Takentogether,thesurveysshowasubstantialdeclineinthejobsatisfactionofattorneys.In1984,41%oflawyerssaidthatthey
wereverysatisfiedwiththeirjobsin1990,only33%ofalllawyerssurveyedwereverysatisfied,adeclineofonefifthinjustsix
years.Atthesametime,thenumberoflawyerswhowereverydissatisfiedwiththeirjobsrosefrom3%in1984to5%in1990.The
dissatisfactionwaswidespread.Inthewordsofthe1990study:

Inthepastsixyears,theextentoflawyerdissatisfactionhasincreasedthroughouttheprofession.Itisnowreportedinsignificant
numbersbylawyersinallpositionspartnersaswellasjuniorassociates.Itisnowpresentinsignificantnumbersinfirmsofallsizes,
notjustthelargestandthesmallestfirms.

Thedecreaseinjobsatisfactionwasevenmoredramaticamongthoselawyerswhoweresurveyedinboth1984and1990.As
noted,40%ofthemhadbeenverysatisfiedand3%verydissatisfiedin1984.Justsixyearslater,only29%ofthesesamelawyers
(thatis,thelawyerswhowerequestionedinboth1984and1990)wereverysatisfied,andthenumberwhowereverydissatisfied
hadrisento8%.Asthestudyrecognized,thesharpriseinjobdissatisfactionamongthelawyerswhoweresurveyedinboth1984and
1990wasparticularlydisturbing,giventhattheselawyerswerefurtheralongintheircareers(,)...betterplaced,andearningmore
moneyin1990thantheywerein1984.

Becausethe1995surveyaskedfeweranddifferentquestionsandsurveyedonlyyoungmembersoftheABA,itisdifficultto
compareitsresultswiththeresultsoftheprevioustwosurveys.Butthe1995resultsweretroublingenoughontheirown.Eventhough
theattorneyssurveyedin1995hadjuststartedtheirlegalcareers,over27%werealreadysomewhatorverydissatisfiedwiththe
practiceoflawonlyaboutoneinfivewasverysatisfied.Almostonethirdoftheyounglawyerssaidthattheywouldstrongly
considerleavingtheircurrentpositioninthenexttwoyears,andalmostanotherthirdsaidthattheymightconsiderdoingso.

..

Thesecondthingtonoteaboutthedatadescribedaboveisthatallofthesestatisticsrelatetotheoveralllevelofcareer
dissatisfactionamonglawyers.Itisimportanttounderstand,though,thatcareerdissatisfactionisnotdistributedequallythroughoutthe
profession.Lawyersinsomepracticesettingsarehappierthanlawyersinothers.And(l)awyersinlargelawfirmsareoftenamongthe
leasthappy.Thisappearstobetrueforbothassociatesandpartners.

A1997studyoflawyerspracticingintheBostonareafoundthatassociatesinbigfirmsweretheleasthappyoftheeightcategories
oflawyersstudied.TheChicagostudy,whichfoundgenerallyhighlevelsofcareersatisfactionamongattorneys,neverthelessfound
that(t)hepercentageofverysatisfiedrespondentsistenpointslowerinthelargefirmcategorythaninanyoftheotherpractice
settings.Forthelastseveralyears,MichiganLawSchoolhasfoundthecareersatisfactionofitsrecentgraduateswhoworkinbig
firmstobedecliningand,onthewhole,tobelowerthan(thatof)anyotherworksettinggroupwestudy....

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Itisalsotellingthatlawyerswholeavebigfirmsrarelygotootherbigfirms.Onestudyreportedthatwhenattorneyswhowere
interestedinchangingjobswereaskedtoindicatethetypeoffirmorotherjobtheyweregoingtolookat,onlyasmallpercentageof
thosecurrentlyinlargefirmsindicatedtheyweregoingtolookatanotherlargefirm.Atthesametime,almostnoonefromamedium
orsmallfirmwasinterestedinlookingatalargefirm.Anotherstudyfoundthatonly5%oflawyerswholeftlargeChicagofirmswent
tootherlargeChicagofirmsmostwenttosmallfirmsorinhouse.

Manybigfirmpartnersarealsodissatisfied.Indeed,(h)appylawpartnersareasmallminoritythesedays.A1997surveyof
partnersinthe125largestAmericanlawfirmsfoundthatonethirdofthosepartnerslawyerswho,intheeyesofmany,havereached
thepinnacleoftheirprofessionwouldchooseadifferentcareeriftheycoulddoitoveragain.Almostonethirdofthemthoughtthat
theywouldprobablyordefinitelynotremainattheirfirmsuntilretirement,andover80%saidthatthenatureofprivatepracticeinbig
firmshadchangedfortheworse...

II.ExplainingthePoorHealthandUnhappinessofLawyers

A.TheHours

Whyarelawyerssounhealthyandunhappy?Whydosomanylawyers,inthewordsofJudgeLaurenceSilberman,hatewhatthe
practiceoflawhasbecome?Lawyersgivemanyreasons.Theycomplainaboutthecommercializationofthelegalprofessionabout
thefactthatpracticinglawhasbecomelessofaprofessionandmoreofabusiness.Theycomplainabouttheincreasedpressureto
attractandretainclientsinaferociouslycompetitivemarketplace.Theycomplainabouthavingtoworkinanadversarialenvironment
inwhichaggression,selfishness,hostility,suspiciousness,andcynicismarewidespread.Theycomplainaboutnothavingcontrol
overtheirlivesandaboutbeingatthemercyofjudgesandclients.Theycomplainaboutalackofcivilityamonglawyers.They
complainaboutalackofcollegialityandloyaltyamongtheirpartners.Andtheycomplainabouttheirpoorpublicimage.Mostly,
though,theycomplainaboutthehours.

IneverystudyofthecareersatisfactionoflawyersofwhichIamaware,ineverybookorarticleaboutthewoesofthelegal
professionthatIhaveread,andineveryconversationaboutlifeasapracticinglawyerthatIhaveheard,lawyerscomplainaboutthe
longhourstheyhavetowork.Withoutquestion,thesinglebiggestomplaintamongattorneysisincreasinglylongworkdayswith
decreasingtimeforpersonalandfamilylife.Lawyersarecomplainingwithincreasingvehemenceaboutlivingtowork,ratherthan
workingtoliveaboutbeingaskednottodedicate,buttosacrificetheirlivestothefirm.

Tocitejustafewexamples:AnationalsurveyoflawyersbytheNationalLawJournalreportedthatmostattorneysinthesurvey
believedtheircareerswereputtingtoomuchofaburdenontheirpersonallives.Whenaskedwhattheyespeciallydislikedabout
practicinglaw,morethanhalf(54percent)mentionedtoomanyhours/notenoughtimeforapersonallife.The1990ABAstudy,after
describingincreasingjobdissatisfactionamongattorneys,saidthat(t)hisincreaseddissatisfactionisdirectlycausedbyadeterioration
ofthelawyerworkplace....Inparticular,theamountoftimelawyershaveforthemselvesandtheirfamilieshasbecomeanissueof
majorconcernformanylawyers....AndthereportofanationalconferenceconvenedbytheABAtoaddresstheemergingcrisisin
thequalityoflawyers'healthandlivessingledoutasasignificantcauseofthiscrisisthefactthatlawyersdonothaveenoughtime
forthemselvesandtheirfamilieswhatmanyhavecometocallthetimefamine.

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...Conventionalwisdomjustafewdecadesagowasthatlawyerscouldnotreasonablyexpecttochargeformorethan1200to
1500hoursperyear.Thirtyyearsago,mostpartnersbilledbetween1200and1400hoursperyearandmost.associatesbetween1400
and1600hours.Aslateasthemid1980s,evenassociatesinlargeNewYorkfirmswereoftennotexpectedtobillmorethat1800hours
annually.Today,manyfirmswouldconsidertheserangesacceptableonlyforpartnersorassociateswhohaddiedmidwaythroughthe
year.

AstudyconductedbyWilliamRossin1991discoveredthatalmosthalfoftheassociatesinprivatepracticebilledatleast2000
hoursduringboth1989and1990,andafifthbilledatleast2400hoursin1990.SeventypercentofthoserespondingtotheMichigan
LawSchoolsurveyworkedanaverageoffiftyormorehoursperweekoveraquarteroftherespondentsworkedmorethansixtyhours
perweek....

Workloads,likethejobdissatisfactiontowhichtheysocloselyrelate,arenotdistributedequallythroughouttheprofession.
Generallyspeaking,lawyersinprivatepracticeworklongerhoursthanthosewhoworkforcorporationsorforthegovernment.Inthe
1990ABAsurvey,forexample,only56%ofthoseinprivatepracticeagreedthattheyhadenoughtimetospendwiththeirfamilies,
comparedto74%ofcorporatelawyersand79%ofgovernmentlawyers.Similarly,only46%ofprivatepractitionerssaidthattheyhad
enoughtimeforthemselves,comparedto53%ofcorporatelawyersand66%ofgovernmentlawyers.Inthewordsofthestudy,(t)ime
forfamilyandselfisarealproblemforlawyersinprivatepractice.Farfewerlawyersincorporatecounselandgovernmentsettings
haveinsufficienttime....

Withinprivatepractice,thegeneralruleofthumbisthebiggerthefirm,thelongerthehours.Forexample,arecentstudyfound
thatover41%ofassociatesinfirmsofunder101lawyersbilledfewerthan1800hours,ascomparedtoabout16%ofassociatesin
firmsofover250lawyers....Atthebiggestfirmsinthebiggestcities,associatescommonlybill2000to2500hoursperyear.Bigfirm
partnersdonothaveitmuchbetter.Juniorpartnersatthenation's125largestlawfirmsaverage1955.5billablehoursperyear,almost
300hoursperyearmorethanpartnersinsmallfirms....

Thelonghoursthatbigfirmlawyersmustworkisaparticularsourceofdissatisfactionforthem.Whileroughlyhalfofall
attorneysinprivatepracticecomplainaboutnothavingenoughtimeforthemselvesandtheirfamilies,inbigfirmstheproportionof
similarlydisaffectedlawyersisaboutthreequarters....AmongrespondentstotheMichiganLawSchoolsurvey,37%ofthoseworking
assolopractitionersorinfirmsoftenorfewerlawyerswerequitesatisfiedwith(t)hebalanceoffamilyandprofessionallives,while
only14%ofthoseworkinginfirmsof150ormorelawyersweresimilarlysatisfied.Finally,youngattorneysinlargefirmswhoare
interestedinfindinganewjobaremorelikelythansimilarlysituatedassociatesinsmallfirmstobemotivatedbyadesireformore
personaltime.

Theunhappinessoflawyersmaypuzzleyou.Atfirstblush,thesebillablehourrequirementsmaynotseemparticularlydaunting.
Youmaythink,Geez,tobill2000hours,Ineedtobillonlyfortyhoursperweekforfiftyweeks.IfItakeanhourforlunch,that's8:00
a.m.to5:00p.m.,fivedaysperweek.Nosweat.Yourreactioniscommonamonglawstudentsparticularlyamonglawstudentswho
areintheprocessoftalkingthemselvesintoacceptingjobsatbigfirms.Yourreactionisalsonave.

Thereisabigdifferenceapainfullybigdifferencebetweenthehoursthatyouwillbillandthehoursthatyouwillspendatwork.
Ifyou'rehonest,youwillbeabletobillonlythetimethatyouspendworkingdirectlyonmattersforclients.Obviously,youwillnotbe
abletobillthetimethatyouspendonvacation,orinbedwiththeflu,orathomewaitingfortheplumber.Butyouwillalsonotbeable
tobillformuchofwhatyouwilldoattheofficeorduringtheworkdaygoingtolunch,chattingwithyourcoworkersaboutthelatest
officeromance,visitingyourfavoritewebsites,goingdownthehalltogetacupofcoffee,readingyourmail,goingtothebathroom,
attendingtheweeklymeetingofyourpracticegroup,fillingoutyourtimesheet,talkingwithyourspouseonthephone,sendingemail
tofriends,preparingapitchforaprospectiveclient,gettingyourhaircut,attendingafuneral,photocopyingyourtaxreturns,
interviewingarecruit,playingSolitaireonyourcomputer,doingprobonowork,readingadvancesheets,takingasummerassociatetoa

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baseballgame,attendingCLEseminars,writingaletteraboutamistakeinyourcreditcardbill,goingtothedentist,droppingoffyour
drycleaning,daydreaming,andsoon.

Becausenoneofthisisbillableandbecausetheaveragelawyerdoesalotofthiseverydayyouwillendupbillingonlyabout
twohoursforeverythreehoursthatyouspendatwork.Andthus,tobill2000hoursperyear,youwillhavetospendaboutsixty
hoursperweekattheoffice,andtakenomorethantwoweeksofvacation/sicktime/personalleave.Ifittakesyou,say,fortyfive
minutestogettowork,andanotherfortyfiveminutestogethome,billing2000hoursperyearwillmeanleavinghomeat7:45a.m.,
workingattheofficefrom8:30a.m.until6:30p.m.,andthenarrivinghomeat7:15p.m.anddoingthissixdaysperweek,every
week.Thatmakesforlongdays,andforlongweeks.Andyouwillhavetoworkthesehoursnotjustforamonthortwo,butyearafter
yearafteryear.Thatmakesforalonglife.

Nowdoyouunderstandwhysomanyattorneysareunhappy?Andwhy,generallyspeaking,themorelawyerswork,thelesshappy
theyare?Whatmakespeoplehappyisthenatureoftheworktheydoandthequantityandqualityoftheirlivesoutsideofwork.Long
hoursattheofficehavenorelationshiptotheformerandtakeawayfromthelatter.Everyhourthatlawyersspendattheirdesksisan
hourthattheydonotspenddoingmanyofthethingsthatgivetheirlivesjoyandmeaning:beingwiththeirspouses,playingwiththeir
children,relaxingwiththeirfriends,visitingtheirparents,goingtomovies,readingbooks,volunteeringatthehomelessshelter,playing
softball,collectingstamps,travelingtheworld,gettinginvolvedinapoliticalcampaign,goingtochurch,workingoutatahealthclub.
There'snomysteryaboutwhylawyersaresounhappy:Theyworktoomuch.

B.TheMoney

Whydolawyersworktoomuch?Atthispoint,I'mafraidthatwehavetoleavetherealmoffactandentertherealmofopinion.No
oneknowsforcertainwhysomanylawyersworksohard,althoughmanypeoplehaveopinions.Ihaveone,tooatleastaboutthe
lawyerswhoworkinbigfirms(who,asnoted,arealsothelawyerswhoworkthelongesthoursandaretheleasthappywiththe
imbalancebetweentheirpersonalandprofessionallives).Admittedly,myopinionisjustanopinion,butitisbasedonalotof
experience.Ipracticedlawforeightyearsinabigfirmsixasanassociate,twoasapartnerandspentmuchofthattimeworkingwith
andagainstotherbigfirmlawyers.Mostofmylawschoolclassmateswentontopracticeatbigfirms,asdidmostofthosewithwhom
Iclerked.Andeventoday,manyofmyfriendsandacquaintancesarelawyerswhohavepracticedorarepracticinginbigfirms.

Becausemyexperienceisinbigfirms,andbecausesomanylawstudentswanttoworkinbigfirms,bigfirmswillbethefocusof
theremainderofthisArticle.Irecognize,ofcourse,thatworkingforabigfirmmaynotbeanoptionforyou.Youshouldnevertheless
readtheremainderofthisArticle.First,ifyouareatypicalstudentwhodoesnothavetheoptionofworkingatabigfirm,youprobably
regretthatfactandyoumayevenspendasubstantialamountoftimeenvyingotherswhocangotobigfirms.Second,justbecauseyou
cannotworkatabigfirmnowdoesnotmeanthatyouwillnotbeabletoworkatabigfirminthefuture.Ifyouassemblealargestable
ofclientsorifyourcollegeroommateiselectedgovernororifyouestablishareputationasatoptriallawyer,thedoorsofbigfirms
willopentoyou.Third,evenifyouneverhavethechancetoworkatabigfirm,youalmostsurelywillhavethechancetoworkata
firmthatactslikeabigfirm.Smallfirms,corporatelegaldepartments,governmentoffices,andevenpublicinterestfirmshave
borrowedmanyfeaturesoflargefirmpractice.Finally,evenifworkingatabigfirmoratasmallormediumfirmthatactslikeabig
firmholdsabsolutelynoappealforyou,bigfirmsexerciseadisproportionateinfluenceontheprofessionyouareabouttoenter,and
youneedtounderstandthenatureofthatinfluence.

Inonesense,theanswertothequestionofwhysomanylawyersworksomuchiseasy:It'sthemoney,stupid.Itbeginswithlaw
students,who,likemostAmericans,seemtobemorematerialisticthantheyweretwentyfiveorthirtyyearsago.In1970,39%of
studentsenteringcollegesaidthatbeingverywellofffinanciallywaseitheranessentialoraveryimportantlifegoalin1993,

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thefigurehadalmostdoubledto75%.Ofnineteenpossiblelifegoalssuggestedtoincomingcollegestudents,gettingrichwasselected
mostoftenevenmoreoftenthanraisingafamily.Notsurprisingly,then,themostcovetedjobsamongst(lawstudents)arehigh
payinglargelawfirmjobs.Thevastmajorityoflawstudentsatleastthevastmajorityofthoseattendingthemoreprestigiousschools
(orgettinggoodgradesatthelessprestigiousschools)wanttoworkinbigfirms.Andthereasontheywanttoworkinbigfirmsisthat
bigfirmspaythemost.

Ofcourse,studentsdenythis.Studentsmanyofwhomcametolawschoolintendingtodopublicinterestworkdon'tliketo
admitthatthey'vesoldout,sotheycomeupwithrationalizations,justifications,accounts,anddisclaimersforseekingbigfirm
jobs.Theyinsistthattherealreasontheywanttogotoabigfirmisthetraining,ortheinterestingandchallengingwork,orthechance
toworkwithexceptionallytalentedcolleagues,orthedesiretokeepmydoorsopen.Theyimplythatthehugesalariesarejustan
afterthoughtmereicingonthecake.Ortheyreluctantlyadmitthat,yes,theyreallyareafterthemoney,buttheyhavenochoice:
Becauseofstudentloandebt,theymusttakeajobthatpays$80,000peryear.$60,000peryearjustwon'tcutit.

Mostofthisishogwash.AsIwillexplainbelow,almostallofthepurportednonmonetaryadvantagesofbigfirmseitherdonot
existorarevastlyoverstated.Moreover,therearefewlawyerswhocouldnotlivecomfortablyonwhatmostcorporationsor
governmentagenciespay,whatevertheirstudentloandebt.Studentsareafterthemoney,pureandsimple.Thehiringpartnerofany
majorfirmwilltellyouthatifhisfirmoffersfirstyearassociatesasalaryof$69,000,andacompetitordownthestreetoffersthem
$72,000,thosewhohavethechoicewillflocktothecompetitorevenifthecompetitorwillrequirethemtobill200hoursmoreeach
year.

IrealizethatIamnotexactlyflatteringlawstudents.Butifthiswerenottrue,wouldbigfirmsgetintobiddingwarsforthe
servicesofthebestlawschoolgraduates?Ofcoursenot.Butbigfirmsdogetintobiddingwarsallthetimeand,asaresult,the
salariesoffirstyearassociatesgetpushedtoextraordinarylevels.....

Howdofirmspayforthiseverspiralingincreaseinsalaries?Intheory,theyhavetwooptions:First,theycanraisebillingrates.
Insteadofcharging,say,$100perhourforthetimeoffirstyearassociates,theycancharge$115,andinsteadofcharging,say,$225per
hourforthetimeofjuniorpartners,theycancharge$250.Second,theycanbillmorehours.Insteadofdemanding2000billablehours
peryearfromfirstyearassociates,theycandemand2100,andinsteadofdemanding1900billablehoursperyearfromjuniorpartners,
theycandemand1950.

Inreality,though,firmshaveonlyoneoption:Theyhavetobillmorehours.Themarketforlawyers'serviceshasbecomeintensely
competitive....Raisingbillingratestopayforspiralingsalariesissimplynotmuchofanoptionformostfirms.Asaresult,firmsget
theextramoneytopayforthespiralingsalariesintheonlywaytheycan:Theybillmorehours.Everyonehastoworkhardertopayfor
thehighersalaries.Andwhensalariesgoupagain,everyonehastoworkstillharder.Associatecompensationhasincreased1000%in
thepastthirtyyears,whilebillingrateshaveincreasedonly400%.Obviously,lawfirmshavepaidforthehighersalariesby
increasingbillablehoursratherthancharginghigherrates.

Iamleavingoutonewrinkleanimportantwrinklethatyoushouldknowaboutifyouarecontemplatingjoiningalargelawfirm
(orafirmthatactslikealargelawfirm).Thepartnersofabigfirmhaveathirdoptionformakingmoremoney.Thisoptioninvolves
whatbigfirmpartnerseuphemisticallyrefertoasleverage.Iliketocallittheskim.RichardAbelcallsitexploitation.The
personbeingexploitedisyou.

Itiscommonforthetoppartnersinthebiggestfirmstoearnupwardsof$2millionperyear....Notoneofthesehighlypaid
partnerscouldpersonallygeneratethebillingsnecessarytoproducesuchanincome...Sohowcanbigfirmpartnerstakehome

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doubleortripleorquadrupletherevenuetheygenerate?Theycandosobecausepartnercompensationreflectsnotonlytherevenuethat
partnersthemselvesgenerate,butalsothesurplusvaluelawfirmsextractfromassociates.AlexJohnsonputsthepointmore
dramatically:(T)hebloodandsweatofnewassociatesline()thepocketsoftheseniormembersofthefirm.

Basically,whathappensisthatbigfirmsbuyassociates'timewholesaleandsellitretail....Hereishowitworks:Asanew
associateinalargefirm,youwillbepaidaboutonethirdofwhatyoubringintothefirm.Ifyoubill,say,2000hoursat$100perhour,
youwillgenerate$200,000inrevenueforyourfirm.Aboutathirdofthat$70,000orsowillbepaidtoyou.Anotherthirdwillgo
towardpayingtheexpensesofthefirm.Andthefinalthirdwillgointothepocketsofthefirm'spartners.Firmsmakemoneyoff
associates.Thatiswhyit'sintheinterestsofbigfirmstohirelotsofassociatesandtomakeveryfewofthempartners.Themore
associatesthereare,themoreprofitsforthepartnerstosplit,andthefewerpartnersthereare,thebiggereachpartner'sshare.

...

Itshouldnotsurpriseyouthat,generallyspeaking,thebiggerthefirm,themoretheleverage.Themedianratioofassociatesto
partners...increaseswiththesizeofthefirm.......Thestarkrelationshipbetweenfirmsizeandpartnershipcompensationcannotbe
explainedbydifferencesinhourlyrates,hoursbilled,orqualityoflegalservices.Rather,itresultsfromtheskim.

This,then,islifeinthebigfirm:Itisintheinterestsofclientsthatseniorpartnersworkinhumanhours,yearafteryear,and
constantlybeanxiousaboutretainingtheirbusiness.Anditisintheinterestsofseniorpartnersthatjuniorpartnersworkinhuman
hours,yearafteryear,andconstantlybeanxiousaboutretainingoldclientsandattractingnewclients.Anditisintheinterestsofjunior
partnersthatseniorassociatesworkinhumanhours,yearafteryear,andconstantlybeanxiousaboutretainingoldclientsandattracting
newclientsandmakingpartner.Andmostofall,itisineveryone'sintereststhatthenewestmembersoftheprofessionthejunior
associatesbewillingtoworkinhumanhours,yearafteryear,andconstantlybeanxiousabouteverythingaboutretainingoldclients
andattractingnewclientsandmakingpartnerandkeepinguptheirbillablehours.Theresult?Longhours,largesalaries,andoneofthe
unhealthiestandunhappiestprofessionsonearth.

C.TheGame

Butsomethingiswronghere.Somethingdoesn'tmakesense.

AsIhavetriedtoconvey,theprofessionthatyouareabouttoenterisabsolutelyobsessedwithmoney.(M)oneyisnotjust
incidentaltothepractice,butatitscore.Moneyisattherootofvirtuallyeverythingthatlawyersdon'tlikeabouttheirprofession:the
longhours,thecommercialization,thetremendouspressuretoattractandretainclients,thefiercelycompetitivemarketplace,thelack
ofcollegialityandloyaltyamongpartners,thepoorpublicimageoftheprofession,andeventhelackofcivility.Almosteveryoneof
theseproblemswouldbeeliminatedoratleastsubstantiallyreducediflawyersweresimplywillingtomakelessmoney.TheNorth
CarolinaBarAssociationhaditexactlyright:(T)hemisguidedviewofmoneyasthesolegoalofpractice,solemeasureofsuccessand
solemeasureofselfworthisdirectlyandindirectlyresponsibleformanyoftheproblemsinpracticetoday.

Thenotionthatlawyerscouldgetbywithlessmoneyisnotexactlyabsurd.In1994,themedianincomeforAmericanmen
employedfulltimeduringtheentireyearwas$31,612forwomen,thecomparablefigurewas$23,265.In1995,themedianincome
forpartnersinfirmsofallsizeswas$168,751...Inthelargestfirms(thoseofseventyfiveormorelawyers),partners'medianincome
was$190,408.Thesefiguresarefrom1995althoughsimilarfiguresarenotavailablefromlateryears,weknowthattheincomesof
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lawfirmpartnersrosedramatically4in1996and1997.AtthosefirmsqualifyingfortheAmLaw100,theaverageprofitsperpartner
roseto$587,000in1997.It'snotasiflawyersarejustscrapingby.

Atthesametimethatlawyersareenjoyingthesefantasticincomes,manyaredissatisfiedwiththeirprofessionallives,andtheir
singlebiggestcomplaintisthelonghourstheyhavetowork.Lawyerscouldenjoyalotmorelifeoutsideofworkiftheywerewilling
toacceptrelativelymodestreductionsintheirincomes.Take,forexample,apartnerwhoisbilling2000hoursandbeingpaid
$200,000.....

Ourhypotheticalpartnerhasachoice,then:Hecanmake$200,000peryearandworkmanynightsandmostweekendsroutinely
gettingupearly,beforehischildrenareawake,drivingtotheoffice,eatinglunchathisdesk,leavingtheofficelate,pickingupdinner
attheTacoBelldrivethroughwindow,andthenarrivinghometokissthecheeksofhissleepingchildren.Orhecanmake$160,000per
yearandworkfewnightsandweekends.Hecanspendtimewithhisspouse,beaparenttohischildren,enjoythecompanyofhis
friends,pursueahobby,dovolunteerwork,exerciseregularly,andgenerallyleadawellbalancedlifewhilestillmaking$160,000per
year.Ifallsuchlawyersmaking$160,000peryearsatdownandaskedthemselves,Whatwillmakemeahappierandhealthierperson:
another$40,000inincome(which,aftertaxes,willmeananother$25,000orsointhebank)or600hourstodowhateverIenjoy
most?,itishardtobelievethatmanyofthemwouldtakethemoney.

Butmanyofthemdotakethemoney.Thousandsoflawyerschoosetogiveupahealthy,happy,wellbalancedlifeforaless
healthy,lesshappylifedominatedbywork.Andtheydosomerelytobeabletomakesevenoreighttimesthenationalmedianincome
insteadoffiveorsixtimesthenationalmedianincome.Why?Arelawyersjustgreedy?

Well,someare,butitismorecomplicatedthanthat.Foronething,lawyersdon'tthinkintheseterms.Theydon'tseetheirlivesas
crazy.Lawyersdon'tseeanyofthis.Lawyersdon'tsitdownandthinklogicallyaboutwhytheyareleadingthelivestheyareleading
anymorethanbuffalositdownandthinklogicallyaboutwhytheyarestampeding.ThatistheprimaryreasonIamwritingthisArticle:
Ihopethatyouwillsitdownandthinkaboutthelifethatyouwanttoleadbeforeyougetcaughtupinthestampede.

Moreimportantly,though,theflawinmyanalysisisthatitassumesthatthereasonlawyerspushthemselvestomakesomuch
moneyisthemoneyitself....Whatyouneedtounderstand,though,isthatveryfewlawyersareworkingextraordinarilylonghours
becausetheyneedthemoney.Theyaredoingitforadifferentreason.

Bigfirmlawyersare,onthewhole,aremarkablyinsecureandcompetitivegroupofpeople.Manyofthemhavespentalmosttheir
entirelivescompetingtowingamesthatotherpeoplehavesetupforthem.Firsttheycompetedtogetintoaprestigiouscollege.Then
theycompetedforcollegegrades.ThentheycompetedforLSATscores.Thentheycompetedtogetintoaprestigiouslawschool.Then
theycompetedforlawschoolgrades.Thentheycompetedtomakethelawreview.Thentheycompetedforclerkships.Thenthey
competedtogethiredbyabiglawfirm.

Nowthatthey'reinabiglawfirm,what'sgoingtohappen?Aretheygoingtostopcompeting?Aretheygoingtostopcomparing
themselvestoothers?Ofcoursenot.They'regoingtokeepcompetingcompetingtobillmorehours,toattractmoreclients,towin
morecases,todomoredeals.They'replayingagame.Andmoneyishowthescoreiskeptinthatgame.

Whydoyousupposesixtyyearoldlawyerswithmillionsofdollarsinthebankstillbill2200hoursperyear?Whydoyou
supposelawyerswhosechildrenhaveeverythingmoneycanbuybutwhoneedthetimeandattentionoftheirparentscontinuetospend
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mostnightsandweekendsattheofficewhilecontinuingtowriteoutcheckstothebestchildpsychologistsintown?...

Itisnotbecausetheselawyersneedthemoney.Anyoftheselawyerscouldloseeverypennyofhissavingsandseehisannual
incomereducedbytwothirdsandstilllivemuchmorecomfortablythanthevastmajorityofAmericans.What'sdrivingtheselawyers
isthedesiretowinthegame.Theselawyershavespenttheirentirelivescompetingagainstothersandmeasuringtheirworthbyhow
welltheydointhecompetitions.Andnowthattheyareworkinginalawfirm,moneyisthewaytheykeepscore.Moneyiswhattells
themifthey'remoresuccessfulthanthelawyerinthenextofficeorinthenextofficebuildingorinthenexttown.Ifalawyer'slifeis
dominatedbythegameandifhissuccessinthegameismeasuredbymoneythenhislifeisdominatedbymoney.Formany,many
lawyers,it'sthatsimple.

III.TheEthicsofLawyers

Atthispoint,Ishouldsayafewwordsaboutethics.Ihesitatetodoso.Iknowthatcoursesonlegalethics(orprofessional
responsibility)areamongtheleastpopularcoursesinthelawschoolcurriculum...

Therearemanyreasonswhyethicscoursesaresounpopular,butthemostimportantisprobablythatlawstudentsdonotthinkthat
theywillbecomeunethicallawyers.Studentsthinkofunethicallawyersasthesleazeballswhochaseambulances(thinkDannyDeVito
inTheRainmaker)orruninsurancescams(thinkBillMurrayinWildThings)ordestroyevidence(thinkAlPacino'screwinThe
Devil'sAdvocate).Studentshaveahardtimeidentifyingwiththeselawyers.Whenstudentsthinkoflifeaftergraduation,theysee
themselvessittingonthe27thfloorofsomeskyscraperinafreshlypresseddarksuit(blue,black,orgray)withastarchedblouseor
shirt(whiteorlightblue)doingsophisticatedlegalworkforsophisticatedclients.Studentsimaginewronglythatsuchlawyersdo
nothavetoworrymuchaboutethics,except,perhaps,whentheoccasionalconflictofinterestquestionarises.

Ifyouthinkthisifyouthinkthatyouwillnothaveanytroublepracticinglawethicallyyouarewrong.Deadwrong.Infact,
particularlyifyougotoworkforabigfirm,youwillprobablybegintopracticelawunethicallyinatleastsomerespectswithinyour
firstyearortwoinpractice.Thishappenstomostyounglawyersinbigfirms.Ithappenedtome,anditwillhappentoyou,unlessyou
dosomethingaboutit.

A.PracticingLawEthically

Let'sfirstbeclearonwhatImeanbypracticinglawethically.Imeanthreethings.

First,yougenerallyhavetocomplywiththeformaldisciplinaryruleseithertheModelRulesofProfessionalConduct,theModel
CodeofProfessionalResponsibility,orsomestatevariantofoneortheother.Asalawstudent,andthenasayounglawyer,youwill
oftenbeencouragedtodistinguishethicalfromunethicalconductsolelybyreferencetotheformalrules.Mostlikely,youwilldevote
themajorityofthetimeinyourprofessionalresponsibilityclasstostudyingtherules,andyouwill,ofcourse,learntherulescoldso

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thatyoucanpasstheMultiStateProfessionalResponsibilityExam(MPRE).Inmanyotherways,subtleandblatant,youwillbe
encouragedtothinkthatconductthatdoesnotviolatetherulesisethical,whileconductthatdoesviolatetherulesisunethical.

Itisintheinterestsofyourprofessors,theorganizedbar,andotherlawyerstogetyoutothinkaboutethicsinthisway.Itisalot
easierforaprofessortoteachstudentswhatrulessaythanitistoexplorewithstudentswhatitmeanstobehaveethically.Defining
ethicswithreferencetorulesputstremendouspowerinthehandsoftheorganizedbarthatwritesthoserules.Andmanylawyerswant
theabsenceofdisciplinarymeasuresandadherencetotheprofession'sownModelRulesofProfessionalConducttobesufficientto
qualifyalawyerasethical,simplybecauseitiseasytoavoiddisciplinarymeasuresandtoadheretoatleasttheletteroftheformal
rules.

Idon'thaveanythingagainsttheformalrules.Often,theyareallthatstandsbetweenanunethicallawyerandavulnerableclient.
Youshouldlearnthemandfollowthem.Butyoushouldalsounderstandthattheformalrulesrepresentnothingmorethanthelowest
commondenominatorofconductthatahighlyselfinterestedgroupwilltolerate.Formanylawyers,(e)thicsisamatterofsteering,if
necessary,justclearofthefewunambiguousprohibitionsfoundinrulesgoverninglawyers.Butcomplyingwiththeformalruleswill
notmakeyouanethicallawyer,anymorethancomplyingwiththecriminallawwillmakeyouanethicalperson.Manyofthesleaziest
lawyersyouwillencounterwillbeabsolutelyscrupulousintheircompliancewiththeformalrules.Infact,theywillbeonlytoohappy
totellyoujustthat.Complyingwiththerulesisusuallyanecessary,butneverasufficient,partofbeinganethicallawyer.

Thesecondthingyoumustdotobeanethicallawyeristoactethicallyinyourwork,evenwhenyouaren'trequiredtodosoby
anyrule.Toasubstantialextent,barethicalruleshavelosttouchwithordinarymoralintuitions.Topracticelawethicallyyoumust
practicelawconsistentlywiththoseintuitions.Forthemostpart,thisisnotcomplicated.Beinganethicallawyerisnotmuchdifferent
frombeinganethicaldoctorormailcarrierorgasstationattendant.Indeed,longbeforeyouappliedtolawschool,yourparentshad
probablytaughtyouallthatyouneedtoknowtopracticelawethically.Youshouldtreatothersasyouwantthemtotreatyou.Be
honestandfair.Showrespectandcompassion.Keepyourpromises.Hereisagoodruleofthumb:Ifyouwouldbeashamedifyour
parentsorspouseorchildrenknewwhatyouweredoing,thenyoushouldnotdoit.

Thethirdthingyoumustdotobeanethicallawyeristoliveanethicallife.Manybigfirmlawyerswhocanberemarkably
smug()aboutthesuperiorityoftheethicalstandardsoflargefirmsignorethispoint.Sodomanylawprofessorswho,whenwriting
aboutlegalethics,tendtofocussolelyonthelawyeratwork.Butbeingadmittedtothebardoesnotabsolveyouofyour
responsibilitiesoutsideofworktoyourfamily,toyourfriends,toyourcommunity,and,ifyou'reapersonoffaith,toyourGod.To
practicelawethically,youmustmeetthoseresponsibilities,whichmeansthatyoumustliveabalancedlife.Ifyoubecomea
workaholiclawyer,youwillbeunhealthy,probablyunhappy,and,Iwouldargue,unethical.

NowIrecognizethatweliveinanageofmoralrelativismanageinwhichbehaviorisneitherrightnorwrongbutamatterof
personalchoice.Yourreactiontomyclaimthatanunbalancedlifeisanunethicallifemayverywellbe,That'sjustyouropinion.It
ismyopinion,butitissurelynotjustmyopinion.Iwouldbesurprisedifthebeliefsystemtowhichyousubscribewhetheritbe
religiouslyorsecularlybasedregardsalifedominatedbythepursuitofwealthtotheexclusionofallelseasanethicallife,oran
attorneywhomeetsonlyhisresponsibilitiestohisclientsandlawpartnersasanethicalperson.

B.BigFirmCulture

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Itishardtopracticelawethically.Complyingwiththeformalrulesistheeasypart.Therulesarenotveryspecific,andtheydon't
demandverymuch.Youmay,onrareoccasions,confrontanextremelydifficultconflictofinterestproblemthatwillrequireyouto
parsetherulescarefully.Youmayevenconfrontasituationinwhichsomeethicalormoralimperativecompelsyoutoviolatetherules.
Butbyandlarge,youwillhavenotroublecomplyingwiththerulesindeed,youareunlikelytogivetherulesmuchthought.

Actingasanethicallawyerinthebroader,nonformalisticsenseisfarmoredifficult.Ihavealreadygivenyousomeideaofwhy
itishardtopracticelawinabigfirm(oranyfirmthatemulatesabigfirm)andliveabalancedlifeIwillreturntothatpointina
moment.Butevenpracticinglawethicallyinthesenseofbeinghonestandfairandcompassionateisdifficult.Tounderstandwhy,you
needtounderstandwhatitisthatyouwilldoeverydayasalawyer.

Mostofalawyer'sworkinglifeisfilledwiththemundane.Itisunlikelythatoneofyourclientswilldropasmokinggunonyour
deskoraskyoutodeliverabriefcasefullofunmarkedbillsorinviteyoutohavewild,passionatesex(orevenunwild,unpassionate
sex).ThesethingshappentolawyersonlyinJohnGrishamnovels.Yourlifeasalawyerwillbefilledwiththekindofthingsthatdrove
JohnGrishamtowritenovels:dictatinglettersandtalkingonthephoneanddraftingmemorandaandperformingduediligenceand
proofreadingcontractsandnegotiatingsettlementsandfillingouttimesheets.Andbecauseyourlifeasalawyerwillbefilledwiththe
mundane,whetheryoupracticelawethicallywilldependnotuponhowyouresolvetheoneortwodramaticethicaldilemmasthatyou
willconfrontduringyourentirecareer,butuponthehundredsoflittlethingsthatyouwilldo,almostunthinkingly,eachandeveryday.

Becausepracticinglawethicallywilldependprimarilyuponthehundredsoflittlethingsthatyouwilldoalmostunthinkinglyevery
day,itwillnotdependmuchuponyourthinking.Youaregoingtobebusy....Youaregoingtohavetoactalmostinstinctively.

Whatthismeans,then,isthatyouwillnotpracticelawethicallyyoucannotpracticelawethicallyunlessactingethicallyis
habitualforyou.Youhavetobeinthehabitofbeinghonest.Youhavetobeinthehabitofbeingfair.Youhavetobeinthehabitof
beingcompassionate.Thesequalitieshavetobedeeplyingrainedinyou,sothatyoucan'tturnthemonandoffsothatacting
honorablyisnotsomethingyouhavetodecidetodosothatwhenyouareatwork,makingthethousandsofphonecallsyouwillmake
andwritingthethousandsoflettersyouwillwriteanddealingwiththethousandsofpeoplewithwhomyouwilldeal,youwill
automaticallyapplythesamevaluesintheworkplacethatyouapplyoutsideofwork,whenyouarewithfamilyandfriends.

Hereistheproblem,though:Afteryoustartpracticinglaw,nothingislikelytoinfluenceyoumorethanthecultureorhouse
normsoftheagency,department,orfirminwhichyouwork.Ifyouaregoingintoprivatepracticeparticularlyprivatepracticeina
bigfirmyouaregoingtobeimmersedinaculturethatishostiletothevaluesyounowhave.Thesystemdoesnotwantyoutoapply
thesamevaluesintheworkplacethatyoudooutsideofwork(unlessyou'rerapaciouslygreedyoutsideofwork)itwantsyouto
replacethosevalueswiththesystem'svalues.Thesystemisobsessedwithmoney,anditwantsyoutobe,too.Thesystemwantsyouit
needsyoutoplaythegame.

Now,nooneisgoingtosaythistoyou.Nooneisgoingtotakeyouasideandsay,Jane,wehereatSmith&Jonesareobsessed
withmoney.Fromthispointforwardthemostimportantthinginyourlifehastobebillinghoursandgeneratingbusiness.Familyand
friendsandhonestyandfairnessareokayinmoderation,butdon'tlettheminterferewithmakingmoney.Noonewilltellyou,asone
lawyertoldanotherinaCharlesAddamscartoon,Iadmireyourhonestyandintegrity,Wilson,butIhavenoroomfortheminmy
firm.Instead,theculturewillpressureyouinmoresubtlewaystoreplaceyourvalueswiththesystem's.

HereisanexampleofwhatImean:Duringyourfirstmonthworkingatthebigfirm,someseniorpartnerwillinviteyouandthe
othernewassociatestoabarbequeathishome.Thisbarbequewillbearabsolutelynorelationshiptowhatyourfatherusedtodoona
Webergrillinyourdriveway.Youwilldriveuptotheseniorpartner'shomeinyourrustedEscortandparkattheendofalonglineof

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MercedesesandBMWsandsportsutilityvehicles.Youwillwalkuptothefrontdoorofthehouse.Thehousewillbeenormous.The
lawnwilllooklikeaputtinggreenitwillbeborderedbyperfectlymanicuredtreesandflowers.Somebodywearingawhiteshirtand
blackbowtiewillanswerthedooranddirectyoutothebackyard.Youwillwalkthroughoneroomafteranother,eachofwhichwillbe
decoratedwithexpensivecarpetingandexpensivewallpaperandexpensiveantiques.Scatteredthroughoutthehomewillbelarge
professionalphotographsofbeautifulchildrenwithtousled,sunbleachedhair.

Asyouenterthepartner'simmaculatelylandscapedbackyard,someonewearingawhiteshirtandblackbowtiecarryingasilver
platterwillapproachyouandofferyouanappetizer.Don'tlookforcocktailweeniesinbarbequesauceyouwillmorelikelybeoffered
ptorminiaturequichesorshrimp.Abarwillbesetupnearthehousethebartender(whowillbewearingawhiteshirtandblackbow
tie,ofcourse)willpouryouadrinkofthemostexpensivebrandofwhateverliquoryoulike.Inthecorneroftheyard,acatererwillbe
grillingswordfish.Inanothercornerwillstandtheseniorpartner,sippingaglassofwhitewine,holdingcourtwithaworshipfulgroup
ofjuniorpartnersandseniorassociates.

Theseniorpartnerwillbewearingdesignersunglassesanddesignerclothesthelogoonhisshirtwillsignalitsexorbitantcosthis
shortswillbepressed.Hewillhaveatanalbeitaslightlyorange,tanningsalonenhancedtanandthenicesthaircutyou'veeverseen.
Eventually,thepartnerwillintroduceyoutohiswife.Shewillbebeautiful,verythin,andalotyoungerthanherhusband.She,too,will
haveagreattan,andnotnearlyasorangeasherhusband's.Youandtheotherlawyerswilltalkaboutgolf.Orabouttennis.Aftera
couplehours,youwillwalkoutthefrontdoor,slightlytipsyfromthefreeliquor,andsaytoyourself,Thisisthelife.

Inthisandathousandotherways,youwillabsorbbigfirmcultureacultureoflonghoursoftoilinsidetheofficeandshorthours
ofconspicuousconsumptionoutsidetheoffice.Youwillworkamonglawyerswhowilltalkaboutmoneyconstantly...

Thelawyersinyourfirmarenotunique.Thirtyorfortyyearsago,talkingaboutincomeandclientsandfeesjust(wa)sn'tdone,
evenamongWallStreetlawyers.Today,(t)helegalprofession...hasbecomeextraordinarilyselfconsciousaboutmakingmoney,
andthenewlegaljournalism(has)hone(d)thisselfconsciousnesstoasharpcomparativeandcompetitiveedge.Justaboutevery
issueoftheNationalLawJournalortheAmericanLawyerseemstoincludeatleastonearticleabouthowmuchmoneysomelawyer
somewhereismaking.Acoupletimesayear,thesejournalspublishextensivesurveysoflawyers'incomesfocusinginparticularon
theincomesofassociatesandpartnersinbigfirms.Thesesurveysareporedoverbylawyerswiththeintensitythatsmallchildrenbring
toporingoverthestatisticsoftheirfavoritebaseballplayers.WanttoknowwhatafirstyearassociateatIrell&ManellainLosAngeles
makes?$88,000.HowaboutasixthyearassociateatDeweyBallantineinNewYork?$166,500,plusa$26,500bonus.Profitsper
partneratMcDermott,Will&EmeryinChicago?$700,000.Readingabouttheincomesofyourrivalswillbringoneitherintenseenvy
orsmugSchadenfreude.

Bigfirmculturealsoreflectsthemanywaysinwhichlawyerswhoarewinningthegamebroadcasttheirsuccess.Afirstyearmale
associatewillbuyhissuitsofftherackatadepartmentstoreacoupleyearslater,hewillbeatBrooksBrothersafewyearsafterthat,
asalespersonwillcometohisoffice,withtapemeasuresandfabricswatchesinhand.Similarostentatiousprogresswillbe
demonstratedwithregardtoeverythingfromwatchestocellphonestorunningshoestochildcarearrangementstoprivatesocialclubs.
Whenlawyersspeakwithenvyoradmirationaboutotherlawyers,theydonotmentionalawyer'sdevotiontofamilyorpublicservice,
oralawyer'sinnatesenseoffairness,orevenalawyer'sskillattryingcasesorclosingdeals,nearlyasmuchastheymentionalawyer's
billablehours,orstableofclients,orannualincome.

Itisverydifficultforayounglawyerimmersedinthisculturedayafterdaytomaintainthevaluesshehadasalawstudent.Slowly,
almostimperceptibly,younglawyerschange.Theybegintoadmirethingstheydidnotadmirebefore,beashamedofthingstheywere
notashamedofbefore,finditimpossibletolivewithoutthingstheylivedwithoutbefore.Somewhere,somehow,alawyerchanges
fromapersonwhogetsintensepleasurefrombeingabletobuyherfirstcarstereotoapersonenragedovera$400,000bonus,whena
colleagueacrosstowngot$425,000.

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C.BecomingUnethical

Asthevaluesofanattorneychange,so,too,doesherabilitytopracticelawethically.TheprocessthatIhavedescribedwill
obviouslypushalawyerawayfrompracticinglawethicallyinthebroadestsensethatis,inthesenseofleadingabalancedlifeand
meetingnonworkrelatedresponsibilities.Whenworkbecomesallconsuming,itconsumesall.Tosucceedintoday'sbigfirm,a
lawyermustlivewithoutasinglecompelling,timeconsuming,anddeeplyvaluedinterestoutsidethepracticeoflaw.Ifyouare
workingallthetime,youwillnotyoucannotmeetanyotherresponsibilitiesthatrequireanyappreciablecommitmentoftimeor
energy.Thismuchisobvious.However,absorbingthevaluesofbigfirmculturewillalsopushalawyerawayfrompracticinglaw
ethicallyinthenarrowersenseofbeinghonestandfairandcompassionate.Inthehighlycompetitive,moneyobsessedworldofbig
firmpractice,(m)ostofthenewincentivesforlawyers,suchasattractingandretainingclients,pushtowardstretchingethicalconcerns
tothelimit.

Unethicallawyersdonotstartoutbeingunethicaltheystartoutjustlikeyouasperfectlydecentyoungmenorwomenwhohave
everyintentionofpracticinglawethically.Theydonotbecomeunethicalovernighttheybecomeunethicaljustasyouwill(ifyou
becomeunethical)alittlebitatatime.Andtheydonotbecomeunethicalbyshreddingincriminatingdocumentsorbribingjurors
theybecomeunethicaljustasyouarelikelytobycuttingacornerhere,bystretchingthetruthabitthere.

Letmetellyouhowyouwillstartactingunethically:Itwillstartwithyourtimesheets.Oneday,nottoolongafteryoustart
practicinglaw,youwillsitdownattheendofalong,tiringday,andyoujustwon'thavemuchtoshowforyoureffortsintermsof
billablehours.Itwillbeneartheendofthemonth.Youwillknowthatallofthepartnerswillbelookingatyourmonthlytimereportin
afewdays,sowhatyou'lldoispadyourtimesheetjustabit.Maybeyouwillbillaclientforninetyminutesforataskthatreallytook
youonlysixtyminutestoperform.However,youwillpromiseyourselfthatyouwillrepaytheclientatthefirstopportunitybydoing
thirtyminutesofworkfortheclientforfree.Inthisway,youwillbeborrowing,notstealing.

Andthenwhatwillhappenisthatitwillbecomeeasierandeasiertotaketheselittleloansagainstfuturework.Andthen,aftera
while,youwillstoppayingbacktheselittleloans.Youwillconvinceyourselfthat,althoughyoubilledforninetyminutesandspent
onlysixtyminutesontheproject,youdidsuchgoodworkthatyourclientshouldpayabitmoreforit.Afterall,yourbillingrateis
awfullylow,andyourclientisawfullyrich.

....And,beforelongitwon'ttakeyoumuchmorethanthreeorfouryearsyouwillbestealingfromyourclientsalmostevery
day,andyouwon'tevennoticeit.

Youknowwhat?Youwillalsolikelybecomealiar.Adeadlinewillcomeuponeday,and,forreasonsthatareentirelyyourfault,
youwillnotbeabletomeetit.Soyouwillcallyourseniorpartneroryourclientandmakeupawhitelieforwhyyoumissedthe
deadline.Andthenyouwillgetbusyandapartnerwillaskwhetheryouproofreadalengthyprospectusandyouwillsayyes,even
thoughyoudidn't.AndthenyouwillbedraftingabriefandyouwillquotelanguagefromaSupremeCourtopinioneventhoughyou
willknowthat,whenreadincontext,thelanguagedoesnotremotelysuggestwhatyouareimplyingitsuggests.Andthen,inpreparing
aclientforadeposition,youwillhelptheclienttoformulateananswertoadifficultquestionthatwilllikelybeaskedananswerthat
willbelegallyaccuratebutthatwillmisleadyouropponent.Andthenyouwillbereadingthroughabigboxofyourclient's
documentsaboxthathasnotbeenopenedintwentyyearsandyouwillfindadocumentthatwouldhurtyourclient'scase,butthatno
oneexceptyouknowsexists,andyouwillsimplyforgettoproduceitinresponsetoyouropponent'sdiscoveryrequests.
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Doyouseewhatwillhappen?Afteracoupleyearsofthis,youwon'tevennoticethatyouarelyingandcheatingandstealingevery
daythatyoupracticelaw.Noneofthesethingswillseemlikeabigdealinitselfanextrafifteenminutesaddedtoatimesheethere,a
littlewhitelietocoveramisseddeadlinethere.But,afterawhile,yourentireframeofreferencewillchange.Youwillstillbemaking
dozensofquick,instinctivedecisionseveryday,butthosedecisions,insteadofreflectingthenotionsofrightandwrongbywhichyou
conductyourpersonallife,willinsteadreflectthesetofvaluesbywhichyouwillconductyourprofessionallifeasetofvaluesthat
embodiesnotwhatisrightorwrong,butwhatisprofitable,andwhatyoucangetawaywith.Thesystemwillhavesucceededin
replacingyourvalueswiththesystem'svalues,andthesystemwillbeprofitingasaresult.

Doesthishappentoeverybigfirmlawyer?Ofcoursenot.It'sallamatterofdegree.Thecultureinsomebigfirmsisbetterthanin
others.EveryyearIsteerstudentswhoareintentonbigfirmpracticetowardsomefirmsandawayfromothers,preciselybecausesome
largefirmsarebetterplacestoworkthanothers.Icouldtellyoumanystoriesaboutbigfirmsgoingoutoftheirwaytoshow
compassiontoapartnerwithadrinkingproblemoraloyalclientwhocouldnotpayitsbillsorarivalattorneywhoisoverthehilland
onthevergeofembarrassinghimself.ThebigfirmatwhichIpracticedwasasdecentandhumaneasabigfirmcanbe.Similarly,some
bigfirmlawyershavebettervaluesthanothers.Iowealottoapartnerwhosacrificedhundredsofhoursofhistimeandtensof
thousandsofdollarsofincometoactasamentortomeandtomanyotheryounglawyerslikeme.

Atthesametime,youshouldnotunderestimatethelikelihoodthatyouwillpracticelawunethically.Itistrue,forexample,thatnot
everylawyerknowinglyandblatantlyliesonhistimesheets.Butthereisareasonwhypaddingtimesheetshasbeencalledasilent
epidemic.Lotsoflawyerspadtimesheetsinwaysthatarelessobviouslydishonestandmoresociallyaccepted.Forexample,a
lawyerwhoneedstoflyfromLosAngelestoNewYorkforoneclientmaydotheworkofanotherclientduringthefivehourflight,and
billbothclientsfivehoursthefirstforfivehoursoftravel,thesecondforfivehoursofwork.Anothercommonpracticeisforlawyers
nottofillouttheirtimesheetsuntiltheendofthedayorendoftheweekorevenendofthemonth.WhenalawyersitsdownonJuly
31andtriestorememberhowmuchtimeshedevotedtoaclient'sworkonJuly9,itisonlynaturalthatshewillunderestimatethe
amountoftimewastedoncoffeebreaksandpersonalphonecallsandoverestimatetheamountoftimedevotedtotheclient'swork.

Anotherwidelyacceptedwayofpaddingtimesheetsistobillinminimumincrementsof,say,.25hoursor.30hours.Thispermits
theenterprisinglawyertoengageinfourtwominutephonecallsandbillonehour.IcannottellyouhowmanytimesIhaveseena
lawyerbillaclientfifteenminutesfortheninetysecondsittookhimtoleaveavoicemailmessageortoreadaoneparagraph
depositionnotice.IrecalloneoccasiononwhichIsentalettertoanattorneywhowasrepresentingmyclientinconnectionwitha
lawsuitfiledinadistantstate.IincludedinthesameenvelopecopiesoftwootherlettersaboutthelawsuitthatIhadmailedtoother
people.Ilaterlearnedthatthislawyerhadbilledmyclient.90hoursforreadingthreelettersthatIhadbilledmyclient.50hoursfor
writing.How?Hebilledin.30minimumsandbilledseparatelyforeachofthethreelettersheread,whileIbilledonlyforthetimethat
Iactuallydevotedtowritingtheletters.Manylawyerswouldadmirethisascleverandcreative(ifperhapsabitaggressive)billing.

Likewise,noteverybigfirmlawyerisaworkaholic.This,too,isamatterofdegree.Iknowbigfirmlawyerswhomakeagood
livingandstilleatdinnerwiththeirfamiliesmostnightsandspendmostweekendsawayfromtheoffice.Unfortunately,though,these
lawyersarealmostinvariablyregardedbytheirpartnersasdeadwoodorassemiretired.IfyouthinkIamexaggerating,Ichallenge
youtofindonebigfirmpartnerwholivesabalancedlifethatis,whodoesnotworkregularlyonnightsorweekends(athomeorat
theoffice)andyetiswellrespectedandconsideredsuccessfulbyhispeers.AndIchallengeyoutofindonebigfirmlawyerwholived
anythinglikeabalancedlifeasanassociateandstillmadepartner.Idonotknowofsuchalawyer.Notone.Inthelastcoupleyears,I
havegivenspeechestovariousgroupsoflawyersandjudges,andIhavechallengedmyaudiencestoidentifyonesuchbigfirmlawyer
forme.Ihaveyettobegivenaname.Atbest,suchpartnersarerare.Theymaybenonexistent.

AsIsay,neitherbigfirmsnorbigfirmlawyersareallalike.Butwhatyouneedtounderstandisthattheyarebecomingmorealike.
...Inotherwords,thedistinctiveculturesofindividualbigfirmsareinfluencingyounglawyerslessandless,whileagenericbigfirm
cultureisinfluencingyounglawyersmoreandmore.Thatiswhy,nomatterwhichbigfirmyoujoin,thereisagoodchancethat
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workingatthefirmwillmakeyouunhealthy,anevenbetterchancethatitwillmakeyouunhappy,andanalmost100%chancethatit
willmakeyouunethicalatleastifyouacceptthatpracticinglawethicallyincludespracticinglawinamannerthatpermitsyoutomeet
yourresponsibilitiestosomeonebesidesyourfirmandclients.

IV.OnBeingaHappy,Healthy,andEthicalLawyer

Inowwanttogiveyousomeadviceadviceabouthowyoucanbeahappy,healthy,andethicalmemberofanunhappy,unhealthy,
andunethicalprofession.Iwanttogiveyoubothbigpictureadviceandlittlepictureadvice.

A.BigPictureAdvice

Mybigpictureadviceissimple:Don'tgetsuckedintothegame.Don'tletmoneybecomethemostimportantthinginyourlife.
Don'tfallintothetrapofmeasuringyourworthasanattorneyorasahumanbeingbyhowmuchmoneyyoumake.

Ifyouletyourlawfirmorclientsdefinesuccessforyou,theywilldefineitinawaythatisintheirinterest,notyours.Itis
importantforthemthatyourprimarymotivationbemakingmoneyandthat,nomatterhowmuchmoneyyoumake,yourprimary
motivationcontinuetobemakingmoney.Ifyouendupasanunhappyorunethicalattorney,moneywillmostlikelybeattherootof
yourproblem.

Youcannotwinthegame.Ifyoufallintothetrapofmeasuringyourworthbymoney,youwillalwaysfeelinadequate.Therewill
alwaysbeafirmpayingmoretoitsassociatesthanyours.Therewillalwaysbeafirmwithhigherperpartnerprofitsthanyours.There
willalwaysbealawyeratyourfirmmakingmoremoneythanyou.Nomatterhowhardyouwork,youwillneverbeabletowinthe
game.Youwillrunfasterandfasterandfaster,buttherewillalwaysbearunneraheadofyou,andthefinishlinewillneverquitecome
intoview.Thatiswhythegamewillmakeyourclientsandpartnerssorichandyousounhappy.

...

Researchhasshownthat,withtheexceptionofthoselivinginpoverty,peoplearealmostalwayswronginthinkingthatmore
moneywillmakethemhappier.(O)ncepeopleareabletoaffordlife'snecessities,increasinglevelsofaffluencemattersurprisingly
little.Whenpeopleexperienceariseinincome,theyquicklyadjusttheirdesiresandexpectationsaccordinglyandconclude,once
again,thatmoremoneywillbringthemmorehappiness.(PsychologistsPhilipBrickmanandDonaldCampbellaptlyrefertothis
processasthehedonictreadmill.)Thus,when,asistrueinlawfirms,moremoneyalmostalwaysmeansmorework,moneynotonly
failstobuyhappiness,butitactuallybuysunhappiness.Asonestudyoflawyersfound,afteracertaintimecommitment(formost
people,workingmorethan225hourspermonth),evensubstantialincomecannotnegatethereducedqualityoflife.Becauseofthis...
thenetimpactofincomeoncareersatisfactionisnegative.Notethatthereferenceistoworking225hourspermonth,andnotto
billing225hourspermonth.

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...

Lawstudentsandyounglawyershavetostopseeingworkaholismasabadgeofhonor.Theyhavetostoptalkingwithadmiration
aboutlawyerswhobill2500hoursperyear.Attorneyswhoselivesareconsumedwithworkwhodevoteendlesshourstomaking
themselvesandtheirclientswealthy,attheexpenseofjustabouteverythingelseintheirlivesarenotheroes.Andthatistruewhether
thelawyersareworkaholicbecausetheytrulyenjoytheirworkorbecausetheycravewealthorbecausetheyareterriblyinsecure.At
best,theseattorneysarepeoplewithquestionablepriorities.Atworst,theyareimmoral.Therearecertainlybetterlawyersafterwhich
topatternyourprofessionallife.

Lawstudentsandyounglawyersmustconsiderthecosts,aswellasthebenefits,ofprivatepracticeandparticularlyofprivate
practiceinalargefirm.Thebenefitsofbigfirmlifethehighsalaries,theplushoffices,theconspicuousconsumptionareparaded
beforeyounglawyersandareeasytounderstand.Anylawstudentcandivide$90,000bytwelve,subtract40%forfederalandstate
taxes,andfantasizeabouthowshewillspend$4,500amonth.Bycontrast,thecostsofbigfirmlifearenotparadedbeforeyoung
lawyersandarenotfullyappreciateduntilalawyeractuallyworksatalargefirm.Butthecostsarejustasrealasthebenefits.

Whenyouareatthatbarbequeattheseniorpartner'shouse,insteadofwistfullytellingyourself,Thisisthelife,askthesenior
partnersomequestions.(I'mspeakingfigurativelyhereyouprobablydon'twanttoactuallyaskthesequestionsaloud.)Askhimhow
oftenheseesthegigantichouseinwhichhelives.Ifhe'shonest,youwillfindoutthathehasn'tseenhishomeduringdaylightfor
almostfourweeks,andthattheonlyreasonhecamehomeatadecenthourtonightistohostthebarbeque.Oraskhimhowoftenhe's
actuallysatonthatantiquesetteeinthatexpensivelydecoratedlivingroom.Youwillfindoutthattheroomisonlyusedfor
entertainingguests.Oraskhimabouthisbeautifulwife.YouwillfindoutthatsheisthethirdMrs.Partnerandthatthelawyersforthe
firsttwoMrs.Partnersaredrivinghimcrazy.Oraskhimaboutthosebeautifulchildrenwhosephotographsareeverywhere.Youwill
findoutthattheylivewiththeirmothers,notwithhimthatheneverseesoneofthembecauseshehateshisgutsandthatheseesthe
othertwoonlyonholidaysthatis,whenheisnotworkingontheholidays,whichisn'toften.Andthenaskhimwhenisthelasttimehe
readagoodbook.Orwatchedtelevision.Ortookawalk.Orsatonhisporch.Orcookedameal.Orwentfishing.Ordidvolunteer
work.Orwenttochurch.Ordidanythingthatwasnotinsomewayrelatedtowork.

ThisisthebestadviceIcangiveyou:Rightnow,whileyouarestillinlawschool,makethecommitmentnotjustinyourhead,
butinyourheartthat,althoughyouarewillingtoworkhardandyouwouldliketomakeacomfortableliving,youarenotgoingtolet
moneydominateyourlifetotheexclusionofallelse.Anddon'tjuststructureyourlifearoundthisnegativeembraceapositive.
Believeinsomethingcareaboutsomethingsothatwhenthecultureofgreedpressesinonyoufromallsides,therewillbesomething
insideofyoupushingback.Makethedecisionnowthatyouwillbetheonewhodefinessuccessforyounotyourclassmates,notbig
lawfirms,notclientsofbiglawfirms,nottheNationalLawJournal.Youwillbeahappier,healthier,andmoreethicalattorneyasa
result.

B.LittlePictureAdvice

Ihavefourpiecesoflittlepictureadviceforyou.

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1.AvoidWorkinginLargeLawFirmsorinFirmsThatActLikeLargeLawFirms

...

Thenacuriousthinghappened.IarrivedatNotreDameandfoundthatthesubstantialmajorityofmystudentswantednothingso
muchastojointheverysamebigfirmsthatmylawyerfriendswantedsobadlytoleave.BeforeIhadeventaughtmyfirstclass,
studentsliterallylinedupoutsidemydoortotalkwithmeaboutgettingbigfirmjobs.Itcalledtomindthegridlockthatoftendevelops
outsideofopenelevatordoors:Insidetheelevatorweremylawyerfriends,tryingtopushtheirwayout,whileoutsidetheelevatorwere
mystudents,tryingtopushtheirwayin.

Youshouldthinkverylongandveryhardbeforeyoutrytopushyourwayintothatelevatororbeforeyouwasteamomentofyour
liferegrettingthatyouwillnotbeabletogetintothatelevator.Ifullyunderstandhowmuchpressurelawstudentsexperiencetogoto
bigfirmsinbigcities.Atmanylawschoolsparticularlythemoreprestigiousschoolsgoingtoworkatabigfirmisconsideredthe
thingtodo....Itisbigfirmswhocometocampustointerview,bigfirmswhoinvitestudentstoflyoutforsplashyrecruitingvisits,
bigfirmswhogettalkedaboutinthestudentlounge,bigfirmswhogetwrittenupintheAmericanLawyer.Thesubliminalmessageof
(lawschool)trainingiscleartomoststudents:Reallawyersworkinlargefirmsrepresentingcorporateandaffluentclients.

Ialsounderstandhoweasyitistoacceptanofferfromabigfirm.Iwellremembergraduatingfromlawschoolbeingburdenedby
heavystudentloandebtandbeingsickoflivingingenteelpoverty.IrecallhowmuchIlookedforwardtomakingrealmoneyforthe
firsttimeinmylifetobuyingfurniturethatwasnotconstructedofparticleboard,tobuyingbestsellersbeforetheycameoutin
paperback,tobuyingclothingmadeofnaturalfibers.Moreover,likethemajorityoflawschoolgraduates,Ihadnofamily
commitments,lotsofenergy,andabsolutelynoideaofwhatbilling2000hoursentailed.Itwashardnottogotoabigfirm.

..Asyoulookforajob(orasyoulookforasecondjob),weighcarefullythebenefitsandcostsofpracticinglawinabigfirm.I
havealreadydiscussedthecostsatlength.Allowmenowtosayafewwordsaboutthebenefits.Everyoneagreesthatthemainbenefit
ofbigfirmpracticeisthemoney.Butbigfirmsalwaysexpressthehope()thatnewassociates(will)choosetojoina(big)firmfor
reasonsotherthanmoney.Whatreasons,exactly?Amongthosethatareroutinelygivenarethefollowing:

a.Training

Manystudentsclaimthattheywillreceivebettertrainingatbigfirmsthantheywillatmediumorsmallfirms,corporations,or
governmentagencies.Bigfirmsagree...Atthebigfirm,bycontrasttosmallfirmsorgovernment,,anassociatecantakehertime
draftinginterrogatories,eitherbecausethefirm'swellheeledclientswillnotobjecttopayingtheextracost,orbecausethewellheeled
firmcanaffordtowriteoffsomeoftheassociate'stime.

Thereissomethingtothis,butnotmuch.Bigfirmsdoindeedgetalotofbigcasesinwhichtensorhundredsofmillionsofdollars
areatstake,clientswanttopulloutallthestops,andassociatetrainingcostscaneasilybetuckedawayintohugelegalbills.Butthese
casesaretheexceptions,andasthelegalmarketgetsincreasinglycompetitive,thesecasesaregettingincreasinglyexceptional.

Moreimportantly,theboastofbigfirmsmissesacoupleofpoints.First,thebreadthoftrainingisasimportantasitsdepth....The
lifeofanassociateinabigfirmlitigationgroupisdominatedbylibraryresearch,writingbriefs,draftingdiscoveryrequests,and
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respondingtodiscoveryrequests.Atypicaljuniorassociatewillhavelittleclientcontact,takefewdepositions,dolittlenegotiating
withopposingcounsel,arguealmostnomotionsorappeals,andtrynotasinglecase.Thefactthatbigfirmsworkonsomanybig
casesinwhichsomuchisatstaketheveryreasonthatassociatescantakethetimetodothingsrightisalsothereasonassociatesdo
notgetthechancetodothingsthatmatter...

Second,themostvaluabletrainingthatanyyounglawyerreceivescomesfromobservingandbeingobservedbymoreexperienced
attorneys.Alawyerlearnshowtonaildownaslipperywitnessatadepositionornegotiateadealwithanunrealisticlawyerorcalma
clientwhoisupsetaboutthesizeofabillbywatchingmoreexperiencedlawyersdoit,orbydoingitandhavingmoreexperienced
lawyersgivethemfeedback.Thistypeofoneononementoringisdisappearinginbigfirmsforanumberofreasons,includingthe
pressuretobillhours,thepressuretoattractandretainclients,thepressuretominimizelegalcosts,theincreasingsizeoflawfirms,
andtheincreasingmobilityoflawyers.Todaytrainingbybigfirmstoooftenmeansprovidingbrownbagseminarsorreimbursing
tuitionforcontinuinglegaleducationthekindofoneononetrainingthatismosteffectiveisactuallylessavailableinbigfirmsthanin
smallfirmsandothersettings.Indeed,oneofthemostcommoncomplaintsofbigfirmassociatesisthelackoftrainingandfeedback
theyreceive.

b.InterestingorChallengingWork

Workinginabigfirmwillunquestionablygiveyoutheopportunitytodosomeinterestingworkthatisnotavailableelsewhere.
LargefirmsworkonalotofbigdealsandcomplexcasesAT&TisnotgoingtohireafourlawyerfirminBoisetodefendthatbillion
dollarantitrustcase.WhenIwasinpractice,IworkedontheNationalFootballLeagueantitrustcaseand,verybriefly,ontheExxon
Valdezoilspilllitigation.IlitigatedseveralfascinatingFirstAmendmentissuesfornewspapersandreligiousorganizations.Iappeared
onnationaltelevisionandonradiocallinshows.Workingatabigfirmmadeallofthispossible.Thatsaid,itisneverthelesseasyto
overstatethedegreetowhichtheworkthatisavailableatbigfirmsismoreinterestingorchallengingthantheworkthatisavailable
elsewhere.

First,mostbigfirmlawyersespeciallybigfirmassociatesspendthebulkoftheirprofessionallivesworkingonrunofthemill
matters.Atthesametime,manylawyerswhodonotworkinbigfirmsdofascinatingwork.WhenMichiganLawSchoolsurveyed
membersofitsclassesof1990and1991fiveyearsaftergraduation,itfoundthatonly42%ofthoseinprivatepracticewerequite
satisfiedwiththeintellectualchallengeoftheirwork,ascomparedto55%ofcorporatecounsel,68%ofgovernmentattorneys,and
72%ofpublicinterestlawyers.Thisshouldnotbesurprising.Afterall,whowouldyourathershadowforaday:apartneratBaker&
McKenzie,anAssistantUnitedStatesAttorneyfortheNorthernDistrictofIllinois,aninhouselawyeratTimeWarner,anattorneyfor
theSierraClub,orasuccessfulsolopractitionerspecializinginemploymentlaw?Thebigfirmpartnerwouldbefifthonmylist.

Second,whatisinterestingorchallengingisintheeyeofthebeholder.Ifyourideaofchallengingworkishavingthetimeto
researchacomplicatedissueofsecuritieslaw,thenyouwillfindmoreinterestingworkinabigfirm.Butifyourideaofchallenging
workishelpingaclientgetdivorcedwithoutlosingherchildrenorputtingadiabolicallyclevercriminalbehindbarsorhelpingaclient
realizeherdreamofopeningasmallbusiness,thenyouarelikelytobeboredinabigfirm.Whatmanylawyersfindmostgratifying
aboutpracticinglawishavingordinarypeopleshowupattheirofficeswithproblems,andthenseeingthelivesofthosepeople
improvedintangiblewaysasadirectresultoftheirlawyer'sefforts.Suchlawyerswillnotfindworkinginbigfirmstobeeithervery
interestingorverychallenging.

..

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Ifyougotoabigfirm,youwillhavetofindaniche,andthebiggeryourfirm,thesmalleryournicheislikelytobe.Ifyoubecome
anexpertincharteringbanks,youwillcharterbanks,dayinanddayout.Ifyouareassignedtodefendthatbilliondollarantitrustaction
againstAT&T,youmightspendsixorsevenyearsofyourlifeworkingonthatonecaseanddoingsoasthefifthlawyeronafive
lawyerteam.Somelawyersliketobeabletospecializeothersdonot.Itdependsonthelawyer.Idevelopedanationalreputationfor
defendingreligiousorganizationsinclergysexualmisconductcases.Iworkedonhundredsofthosecases,sendingoutprettymuchthe
sameinterrogatories,gettingbackprettymuchthesameanswers,readingprettymuchthesamemedicalrecords,askingprettymuchthe
samequestionsatdepositions,filingprettymuchthesamesummaryjudgmentmotions.Ifoundtheworkinteresting,butthefiftieth
casewasnotasinterestingasthefirst,andthehundredthcasewasnotasinterestingasthefiftieth.

Inshort,somepeoplewouldundoubtedlyfindtheworkdonebybigfirmsinterestingandchallenging.Butmanyotherpeople
wouldfindtheworkfarlessinterestingandfarlesschallengingthanworkavailableelsewhere.Bigfirmworkisnotinherentlysuperior
tootherwork.

c.Collegiality

Somestudentswanttogotobigfirmsbecausetheywanttobesurroundedbyextremelysmartandablelawyers.Theyseebigfirms
astheplacewhereayounglawyercanbepartofanoutstandingteam,helpingandbeinghelpedbythebestandbrightestinthe
profession.Onestudenttoldmethathewantedtoworkatabigfirminsteadofasmallfirmforthesamereasonthatanybaseballplayer
wouldratherplayfortheNewYorkYankeesthantheMontrealExpos.

Again,thereissomethingtothis.Atabigfirmyouwillbesurroundedbyattorneyswhogotgoodgradesatgoodschools.Mostof
themwillevenbegoodlawyers.Anditisindeednicetowalkdownthehallandtalktotheleadingtaxlawyerintownortowalk
fartherdownthehallandgiveanassignmenttoayoungassociatefreshoffaSecondCircuitclerkship.Iamascriticalofbigfirmsas
anyone,butIdon'tthinkitcanbedeniedthat,onaverage,bigfirmlawyersaremoretalentedanddobetterworkthanlawyersinother
practicesettings....

Again,though,thereisanothersidetothisstory,onethatsubstantiallyundercutsthisadvantage.Foronething,asIjustsaid,
outstandinglawyersworkineverypartofthelegalprofession.Nomatterwhatyoudonomatterthesettinginwhichyouworkyou
willmeetterrificattorneys.Theywillhelpyou,andyouwillhelpthem,andtheywillreferworktoyou,andyouwillreferworkto
them.Evenifyoubecomeasolopractitioner,youwill,overtime,formyourownbigfirmoffriendsandcolleaguesinthelegal
profession.

Inaddition,beingpartofalawfirmwithoutstandinglawyersdoesnotmeanmuchifthoselawyersdon'tknowyouorare
indifferenttoyou.Manybigfirmpartnersdon'tevenknowtheirpartners,muchlessthedozensofheretoday,gonetomorrow
associates.Itisevenworseifyourcolleaguesareaffirmativelyseekingtoundercutyou.Partnersatlargefirmsrespondingtoarecent
surveyreportedthatjustover58%oftheirpartnersweresupportive,whileroughly33%werecompetitiveand10%
undermining.TheNationalLawJournal,whichconductedthesurvey,reportedthatthepressuretoattractbusinesswascaus(ing)
partnerstorootfortheircomradestostumble.Thingsaren'tmuchbetterattheassociatelevel.Thepracticeofleveragingassociates
createscompetition,stressandalossofinstitutionalloyaltyandsenseofbelonging.Colleaguesareviewedascompetitorsfor
partnership....

d.KeepingDoorsOpen

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Sometimesstudents,whenresistingentreatiestoconsideralternativestobigfirms,saythattheyarenotsurewhattheywanttodo,
butfigurethatiftheygotoabigfirm,theywillbekeepingtheirdoorsopen,whereasiftheygoelsewhere,bigfirmsandotherelite
employerswillloseinterestinthem.Idonotknowwhetherthisreasoningissound,butIsuspectthatitisnot.

Withoutquestion,lawyersleavingbigfirmsgenerallyhavemoreoptionsavailabletothemincludingthepossibilityofgoingto
otherbigfirmsthanlawyersleavingsmallfirmsorotheremployers.Butrememberthatlawyersleavingbigfirmsgenerallyhadmore
optionsavailabletotheminthefirstplace.Lawyershiredbybigfirmstendtohavebetterpapercredentialsthanlawyershiredbysmall
firms,soofcoursetheyaregoingtobemoremobilewhentheylookforasecondjob.Thatdoesn'tmeanthatthelawyersaremore
mobilebecausetheyworkedinabigfirm.

...

Thisraisesanimportantpoint:Althoughthoseleavingbigfirmsalwaysseemtogetnewjobs,theymayhavelessmobilitythanis
widelyassumed.MyfirminMinneapolisgothundredsofresumsfromattorneyswhohadspentafewyearsinbigfirmsinbigcities.
Werarelyinterviewedthemandalmostneverhiredthem.Thesepeoplegenerallyhadnotlearnedanythingthatwouldhelpourfirm
much.Theyhadoftenspentseveralyearsinthelibraryorreviewingdocumentsorworkingononegiganticlawsuit.Atthesametime,
thesepeoplegenerallybroughtalotofbaggage.Theywereaccustomedtomakingmoremoneythanwecouldpay.Theywere
accustomedtoapproachingworkinawaythatmostofourclientswouldnotaccept.Andtheywereaccustomedtoaculturethatwas
inimicaltoours.Onbalance,wealmostalwayspreferredhiringlawyersoutoflawschooltohiringassociateslaterallyfromotherbig
firms.

Andthatismypoint:Whenitcomesrightdowntoit,thereisoneandonlyonereasontogotoabigfirm:money....Thus,if
seekingwealthis...thesoledrivingforcein(your)life,andworking60to70hoursaweekis...(your)perceptionofthegoodlife,
thenbyallmeansgotoworkforabigfirm.Butdonotgotoworkforabigfirmbecauseofthebenefits,suchasthetraining,
challengingwork,collegiality,orincreasedmobility.Thosebenefitsdonotexist.

Also,donotgotoabigfirmforsomeoftheotherreasonsgivenbystudents.Forexample,studentsoftensaythattheymustgotoa
bigfirmbecausetheirstudentloandebtleavesthemnochoice.Thismaybetrueforsome.Ihavehadstudentswithfourorfive
children,anunemployedspouse,and$60,000ormoreindebts.Forthesestudents,bigfirmsalariesmayindeedbenecessary.Butthe
numberofstudentswhoseeconomiccircumstancescompelthemtotakebigfirmjobsisstillsubstantiallysmallerthanthenumberof
studentswhoclaimthattheireconomiccircumstancescompelthemtotakebigfirmjobs.

...Soletustakeatypicalstudentwhofearsstarvationifhedoesnotgetabigfirmjobsay,anunmarriedstudentwhograduates
with$50,000instudentloandebt.Ifweassumethatthisstudentisbeingcharged8%interest(compoundedannually)andthathemust
repayhisloanswithinfifteenyears,thatstudentmustmakeabout$5,840inloanpaymentseachyear,orabout$487permonth.At
present,therearethousandsofentrylevelpositionswithcorporations,aswellaswithfederal,state,andlocalgovernments,thatpay
$40,000to$60,000peryear.Asinglelawyermaking$50,000peryearwouldtakehome(aftertaxes)roughly$36,000orabout$3,000
permonth.Aftermakinghisloanpaymentof$487,thelawyerwouldbeleftwithabout$2,500onwhichtoliveforamonth.Evenif
thislawyergoesfifteenyearswithoutaraiseandneverrefinanceshisloan,theamountthathewouldbeabletospendeachmonthafter
makinghisloanpaymentwouldstillalmostequalthemediangrossincomeforAmericanmenandsubstantiallyexceedthemedian
grossincomeforAmericanwomen.AlawyerwhoisspendingmoremoneythanmostAmericansareearningwillnothavetolivein
poverty.

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Ihavealreadyalludedtoasecondjustificationgivenbystudentsforgoingtobigfirms.Manystudentsinsistthattheyreallywant
topracticelawinSeattleorPhoenixorMiamiorreallywanttobeaprosecutororpublicinterestlawyerbutfirstaregoingtoabig
NewYorkorWashingtonfirmtogettrainingortomakeenoughmoneytopayoffsomeloans.Then,theysay,afterthreeorfouryears
ofbigfirmpractice,theywillmovetothecityinwhichtheyreallywanttopracticeandtakethejobthattheyreallywanttotake.

Thisisselfdelusion.First,asIhaveexplained,thevauntedtrainingofbigfirmsdoesnotexist.Second,itisnotnearlyaseasyto
walkawayfromabigfirmasthesestudentssuppose.Inertiaisapowerfulforce,andlawyersquicklygetaccustomedtobigfirm
salaries.Younglawyersinbigfirmsaremorelikelytobepushedoutthantowalkout.Andthird,whenitistimeforbigfirmassociates
toleave,itisnotnearlyaseasytofindsatisfactoryworkasstudentsseemtothink.True,bigfirmassociatesalmostalwaysfindanew
jobsomewhere,butIdoubtthatmyfirmwastheonlyemployerthatperceivedformerbigfirmassociatesasofferinglittlehelpful
experienceandmuchunhelpfulbaggage.

Onefinalthingthatstudentsgoingtobigfirmssometimessayisthat,althoughtheyaregoingtoabigfirm,theyfirmlyintendto
resistbigfirmculture.Infact,theyintendtoworktochangetheirbigfirmsfromwithin,andtolivebalancedlives,nomatterwhattheir
firmssay.Allofthisiswellandgood,andifyouendupatalargelawfirmsomeday,youshouldindeedadvocatereform.Butitisalot
hardertoresistbigfirmculturethanstudentsthink.Myownlifeprovidesagoodillustration.

Icouldhavehadmypickofbigcity,bigfirmjobsin1987,asIwascompletingaSupremeCourtclerkship.Infact,manybigfirms
weresupplementingtheirusualastronomicalsalarieswithbonusesforSupremeCourtclerks.Idecidedtoturndownthebigmoneyand
returnhometoMinnesota,whereIjoinedalargefirmwithareputationfortreatingpeoplewell.Withinacoupleofyears,Iwas
married,andourfirstchildwasontheway.

Ihadeveryintentionofleadingabalancedlife.And,byNewYorkorWashingtonstandards,IsupposeIdid.Byanyoneelse's
standards,Ididnot.Iworkedthreeorfournightsandoneortwoweekenddayseveryweek.WhenIwaspreparingforatrialor
arbitrationorappellateargument,Iworkedalmostaroundtheclock.Iputhundredsofhoursintobusinessdevelopment,and,within
threeyearsorso,hadcreatedaselfsustainingpractice.Itraveledconstantly.WhatIrememberaboutthetimesmychildrenfirsttalked
orwalkedorwenttothepottywasthehotelroominwhichIwassittingwhenmywifetoldmeabouttheeventoverthephone.Iwasin
Seattlewhenmygrandmotherdied.IwasinPittsburghwhentheworstsnowstormofthecenturytrappedmyfamilyinourhousefor
twodays.IwasinWilliamsburgwhenmywifelearnedthatourthirdchild,withwhomshewasfourmonthspregnant,hadDown
Syndrome.Ifailedmiserablyinmyresolvetoleadabalancedlife,andneithermyfamilynorIwilleverbeabletogetbackwhatwe
lostasaresult.

YoumaydobetterthanIdid,butdon'tcountonit.Nomatterhowpureyourintentionsnomatterhowfirmyourresolvewhen
yougotoworkatabigfirm,theculturewillseepin.Igrewupinalowermiddleclassneighborhood.Iliterallynevermetanyonewho
couldbecharacterizedaswealthy.Ialmostnevertalkedaboutmoneyorthoughtaboutmoney.ThatallchangedwhenIstarted
practicinglaw,despitemybestintentions.Slowly,imperceptibly,thethingsthatIcaredaboutandthewaythatIthoughtaboutothers
andthewaythatIthoughtaboutmyselfchanged.Igotsuckedintoplayingthegame,andeventoday,threeyearsafterleavingthebig
firm,Istillfindmyselfplayingthegameattimes.Ifyougotoabigfirmintendingtostayforonlyacoupleyears,thejobyouchoose
maybetemporary,butthewayitaffectsyoumaynot.

2.SeekAlternativestoPrivatePracticeandEspeciallytoBigFirmPractice

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Asyoulookforyourfirstjob,donotrestrictyourselftoprivatepractice.Therearetensofthousandsofjobsforattorneysinthe
government,incorporations,andinthenotforprofitsector.Alotofthesejobsprovidefascinatingwork,minimalstress,predictable
hours,anddecentsalariesalbeitnotthehugesalariespaidbybigfirms.Mostimportantly,manyofthesejobspermityoutohavealife
outsideofwork.Timeforfamilyandselfisarealproblemforlawyersinprivatepractice.Farfewerlawyersincorporatecounseland
governmentsettingshaveinsufficienttime.

ConsidertheresultsoftheMichiganLawSchoolsurvey.Membersoftheclassesof1990and1991wereaskedabouttheir
satisfactionwithseveralaspectsoftheirlivesfiveyearsaftergraduation.Theclassesweredividedintofourgroupsgovernment
attorneys,attorneysworkingforlegalservicesorganizationsorotherpublicinterestemployers,privatepractitioners,andattorneysin
corporatelegaldepartmentsandthesatisfactionlevelsofeachgroupwerereportedasfollows:

Theresultsaretelling:Attorneysworkinginprivatepracticeweredeadlastincareersatisfaction,deadlastinbeingsatisfiedwith
theintellectualchallengeoftheirwork,deadlastinbeingsatisfiedwiththebalanceofworkandfamily,anddeadlastinregardingtheir
workasvaluabletosociety.Privatepractitionerscameinfirstonlyinbeingsatisfiedwiththeirincomesbut,evenwithrespectto
income,onlyslightlymorethanhalfofthoseinprivatepracticewerequitesatisfied.Overthepastsixteenyears,MichiganLaw
Schoolhasfoundthatthecareersatisfactionofitsgraduatesinprivatepracticehasdroppedsharply,whilethecareersatisfactionofits
graduatesworkingforthegovernmentorforpublicinterestorganizationshasrisensharply.

Ifyouwanttopracticelawintheprivatesectorasopposedtothegovernment,publicinterest,orcorporatesectorsIrecommend
thatyoulookatsmallfirms.Notallsmallfirmsarealike,ofcourse.Somesmallfirmsarestructuredlikebigfirmsassociatesare
workedtodeathsopartnerscanprofithandsomely.Evensmallfirmsthatdonotactlikebigfirmshavetheirownproblems.However,
smallfirmstendtohaveseveraladvantagesoverbigfirms.

First,smallfirmsaresmall,soyouwillbeclosertoyourcolleagues.Youwillhaveabetterchanceofgettingthekindofoneon
onetrainingthatisdisappearinginbigfirms.Second,smallfirmsleverageassociatesless,meaninglesscompetitionamong
associatesandagreaterchanceofmakingpartner.Third,smallfirmsarelessrigidlystructured.Theycanpermitlawyerstoworkmore
flexibleschedules,ortotakelongerthansevenoreightyearstomakepartner,ortochoosenottomakepartneratall.Fourth,the
attritionrateofassociatesinsmallfirmsissmallerthantheattritionrateofassociatesinlargefirmsyounglawyersstickaroundlonger
atsmallfirms.Fifth,smallfirmshavemorefreedomtochoosetheirclientsandtheircases.Ifasmallfirmwishestodoso,itcanagree
towriteawillforafarmerinexchangeforasupplyoffreshvegetablesortoincorporateagasstationinreturnforfreecarrepairs.
Sixth,younglawyersatsmallfirmsgetmoreresponsibilityandgetitquicker.Seventh,beginningwiththefirstdayofwork,smallfirm
lawyershaveextensivecontactwithclients.Eighth,smallfirmsdemandfewerbillablehoursasaresult,lawyersinsmallfirmslive
morebalancedlives.Andninth,andnotsurprisingly,lawyersatsmallfirmstendtobehappierwiththeircareers.

Withoutquestion,theattorneysIknewwhoseemedtobethehappiest,whoseemedtohavethemostbalancedlives,andwho
seemedtohavethemostinteresting,satisfyingpracticeswerethosepracticinginsmalltowns(ineithersmallfirmsoranotheroption
foryouassolopractitioners).Butevenifyouareintentonworkinginamajorcity,makeanefforttocheckoutsmallfirms.Thereare
manythreetotenpersonfirmsinbigcitiesfoundedbypeoplewholefttheratracewhodecidedthattheywerewillingtogiveup
somemoneyinordertogetsomecontrolovertheirlives.Andconsiderworkingforthegovernmentorforpublicinterestgroups.The
passionofgovernmentandpublicinterestattorneysfortheirworkisunmatched,andthebaptismbyfirethatmanyoftheseattorneys
experienceprovidesbettertrainingthanbrownbagsessionsinbigfirmconferencerooms.

Identifyingjobopportunitieswithsmallfirms,thegovernment,andpublicinterestgroupsisdifficult,astheydonotinterviewon
lawschoolcampusesoradvertiseinmajortradejournals.Also,unlikebigfirms,theyusuallycannothireayearinadvance.Ittakesa
lotofgutstoholdoutforasmallfirm,government,orpublicinterestjobduringthethirdyearoflawschool,asoneofyourfriends
afteranothersignsupwithabigfirm.Buttherewardsareworththeeffort.

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3.IfYouGotoaBigFirm,MakeaSmartChoice

AsIhavesaid,bigfirmsarenotalike.Somearebetterthanothers.If,despitemyadvice,youdecidetogotoabigfirm,thenat
leastbesmartinchoosingamongbigfirms.Inthatway,youwillhelpyourselfandyouwillhelptheprofession.

...

b.HelpingYourself

Shortlybeforetheendofeachschoolyear,IgiveapresentationtothethirdyearLegalEthicsclassesatNotreDame.Inthat
presentation,ItrytocommunicatetherealitiesofbigfirmpracticeinmuchthesamewayasI'vetriedtodointhisArticle.Invariably,a
studentwillcomeuptomeafterclassandsay,ThebigfirmatwhichI'mgoingtoworkisnotliketheonesyoudescribe.WhenI
reply,Howdoyouknow?,thestudentcitesthefirm'srecruitingmaterialsorherinterviewswiththefirmorherthreemonths
experienceatthefirmasasummerassociate.

Understandthis:Firmslie.Theylieintheirbrochures.Theylieduringinterviews.Theylietotheirsummerassociates.Tobesure,
thereareliesandthentherearelies.Tellingalawstudentthatthefirmexpectsassociatestobill1800hoursperyearwhen,infact,the
firmfiresassociateswhodonotbill2200hoursisadirect,nodoubtaboutitlie.Givingsummerassociateslightworkloads,channeling
themostinterestingprojectstothem,assigningthemtoworkforthemostlikeablepartners,andsmotheringthemwithfreemealsand
socialoutingsisanindirectlie.Eitherway,though,thefirmisholdingitselfouttobesomethingthatitisnot.

Lawfirmshavetosellthemselvestobrightlawstudents,and,likeanysellerofaproduct,theyworkhardtomakethemselveslook
goodsometimesattheexpenseofthetruth.Muchofwhatalawfirmsaysareemptywordswithnorelationtowhatactuallyhappens
atthefirm.Yetlawstudentsandassociateshaveoftenbeensurprisinglyunwillingtolookbehindthebigsalariesandemptypromises
thatlawfirmrecruiters...havethrownatthemwithincreasingvigor.Youshouldshopforalawfirminthesamewaythatyoushould
shopforanapartmentoracaroramajorappliance.Youshouldfirstresearchtheproduct,andthenyoushouldaskhardquestionsof
thepersontryingtoselltheproducttoyou.

Beforeyouacceptanofferfromafirmindeed,beforeyoueveninterviewatafirmresearchthefirmthoroughly.Usethe
AmericanLawyerortheNationalLawJournaltodiscovertheprofitsperpartneratthefirm.Roughlyspeaking,thelowertheprofits
perpartner,thebettertheworkingconditions.Insomeways,theoptimalbigfirmisafirmwithhighprestigeandlowprofitsper
partner.Atsuchafirm,bigfirmbenefitswilllikelybeaccompaniedbyaminimumofbigfirmexploitation.Youwillfindthatthese
optimalbigfirmstendtobelocatedincitieslikePortlandandDenverandMilwaukee,ratherthanNewYorkandWashingtonand
Chicago.

...byfarthebestinformationthatyouwillgetaboutthefirmwillcomefromlawyerswhopracticeinthesamecitybutdonotwork
atthefirm.

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Ifyouareinterestedinabigfirmin,say,St.Louis,thenyoushouldtalkwithseverallawyersinSt.Louis.Talknotonlywith
lawyersworkinginotherbigSt.Louisfirms,butalsowithlawyersinsmallfirms,incorporations,andingovernment.Almostevery
lawyertowhomyouwillspeakwilleitherknowsomeoneatthefirmorknowsomeonewhoknowssomeoneatthefirm.Aparticularly
goodsourceofinformationwillbelawyerswhorecentlyleftthefirm.TheselawyersareeasilyidentifiedthroughMartindaleHubbell
or,forthatmatter,bysimplyaskingaround.Obviously,anattorneywhomyoucalloutoftheblueislesslikelytobecandidwithyou
thananattorneytowhomyouhavebeenintroduced,sonetwork.Callanattorneyyouknow,andaskherifshewouldbewillingto
introduceyoutotwootherattorneys.Thenmakethesamerequestofthosetwoattorneys,andoftheattorneystowhomtheyintroduce
you.Beforelong,youwillhaveaprettygoodpictureofthefirm.

Ofcourse,youneedtobecarefultotakewhatyouaretoldaboutthefirmwithagrainofsalt.Whatyouaretoldmayreflectsome
envyofthefirm,oranattempttorecruityouawayfromthefirm,orresentmentatnotbeinghiredbyoratbeingforcedoutofthefirm.
Themorespecificyoucanmakepeoplebe,thebetterableyouwillbetojudgetheiropinions.Alawyerwhotellsyouonlythathehas
heardthatpeopleareunhappyatthefirmhasnottoldyounearlyasmuchasalawyerwhosays,Thehusbandofoneofourlegal
assistantsworksthere.Shetoldmethatshehashaddinnerwithherhusbandonlytwiceinthepastmonth.Shesaidthathebilled2500
hourslastyearandisonpacetobill3000thisyear.

Whenyouinterviewwiththefirm,donotpassivelyacceptplatitudes.Everybigfirmclaimsthatitisdifferent.Everybigfirm
deniesthatitisasweatshop.Everybigfirminsiststhat,althoughitsattorneysworkhard,theyleadbalancedlives.Thisisalmost
alwaysfalse.Ithastobe.Thereisnofreelunch.Someonehastopayforyour$80,000startingsalary.Andsomeonehastopayforthat
officespaceinthecity'smostprestigiousskyscraper.Andsomeonehastopayfortheoakpanelingthatlinestheconferencerooms.You
cannotgetbigfirmbenefitswithoutpayingthebigfirmprice.Afirmthattellsyouotherwiseislying.

Forabigfirmtobetrulydifferent,itspartnerswouldhavetobewillingtotakelessmoney,andthisissomethingthatbigfirm
partnershaveprovensingularlyunwillingtodo.MarcGalanterandThomasPalayhavedescribedwhy,inasense,bigfirmscannot
valueanythingexceptmoney:Moneyisnotallthatpartnerswant,GalanterandPalaywrite.

Butasfirmsgetbigger,securingandmonitoringagreementaboutthepriorityordering,thevalue,andthemixofgoodsthey
wantastheirreturnfrompracticebecomesevermorecomplex.Sincemoneyishigh(evenifnotfirst)oneveryone'sscale,itis
almostalwayspossibletogetagreementonmoremoneyoveranyothercompetinggood.Asfirmsgetlarger,agreementbecomesmore
difficult.Thisisespeciallysowhenfirmsatthesametimebecomemorediverseintermsofgender,ethnicity,classorigin,and
educationalbackground.

Asaresultofthisphenomenon,bigfirmlawyersinsistontakingthegainsoffirmgrowthintheformofmoremoneyincome
ratherthanassabbaticals,timeforchildcare,politicalinvolvement,greaterworksatisfaction,orwhatever.Presumably,astheculture
thatmostinfluencesayounglawyershiftsfromthedistinctivecultureofherindividuallawfirm(whichiscreatedbyacouplehundred
attorneys)toagenericbigfirmculture(whichiscreatedbymanythousandsofattorneys),thetrendtowardvaluingnothingbut
materialwealthwillonlyaccelerate.

Eventhosewithinthelegalprofessionwhoaremostconcernedaboutthewellbeingoflawyersseemincapableofsuggestingto
theirfellowattorneysthatmaybe,justmaybe,abigpartofthesolutiontotheprofession'sproblemsliesinbeingsatisfiedwithmore
modestincomes.HereareacoupleexamplesofwhatImean:

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In1991,inresponsetogrowingevidenceoftheunhappinessandunhealthinessofthelegalprofession,theABAconvenedan
urgentconferenceofleadinglawyersfromacrosstheUnitedStates.Theconferencewasdramatically(iflongwindedly)titled,Atthe
BreakingPoint:ANationalConferenceontheEmergingCrisisintheQualityofLawyers'HealthandLivesItsImpactonLawFirms
andClientServices.Thelawyersattendingtheconferencewereconcernedandknowledgeableaboutthewellbeingoflawyers,andyet
eventheycouldnotquitecometogripswiththefactthatlawyersareunhappyandunhealthyinlargepartbecausetheyhave
unreasonableexpectationsaboutmoney.Tothecontrary,muchoftheconference'sreportargued(unconvincingly,inmyview)that
lawyerscouldusesoundmanagementandvaluebillingandvaluecompensationtomakemoremoneywithoutworkinglonger
hours.(Soundmanagementistoalawfirmconsultantwhatgettingridofwaste,fraud,andabuseistoapolitician.)

ThemorerecentBostonBarAssociationTaskForceonProfessionalFulfillmentwassimilarlyreluctanttoacknowledgereality.
TheLargeLawFirmsPartnersSubcommittee,afterlistingthreefulfillingaspectsofbigfirmpractice,identifiedtenobstaclesto
professionalfulfillmentmostofwhichcouldbeeliminatedorreducedifbigfirmpartnerswerewillingtomakelessmoney.Andyet
theclosesttheTaskForcecametoacknowledgingthatfactwasitshesitantsuggestioninthesixthofitssixrecommendationsthatthe
incomeofbigfirmpartnersmayhavetogrowmoreslowly:TheTaskForcerecommendsthat...largelawfirmsencouragepartners
tomanagetheirexpectationsandtorecognizethattheannualpercentageincreasesincompensationwitnessedinthepastfewyearswill
inevitablymoderateandthatmonetaryrewardsalonearenotwhatismeantbyprofessionalfulfillment....

Againstthisbackground,youshouldbeskepticalofanyclaimbyanybigfirmthatitisdifferent.Asktoughquestionsofthe
lawyersyoumeet.Whenyouareatarecruitingdinnerwithacoupleoflawyersfromthefirm,don'tjustaskthem,So,doyoufolks
haveanykindoflifeoutsideofwork?Theywillchuckle,saysure,andaskifyouwantmorewine.Instead,askthemhowmany
timeslastweektheyhaddinnerwiththeirfamilies.Andthenaskthemwhattimedinnerwasserved.Andthenaskthemwhetherthey
workedafterdinner.Askthemwhattheirfavoritetelevisionshowisorwhatisthelastgoodmovietheysaw.Iftheyrespond,
respectively,WelcomeBackKotterandSaturdayNightFever,youwillknowsomething'swrong.Askthemabouttheirlastvacation.
Wheredidtheygo?Howlongdidtheystay?Howmanyfaxesdidtheysendorreceivewhileonvacation?Getsomesenseofwhattheir
livesarelike.

Similarly,whenyouareinterviewingatthefirm,asktoughquestionsofthelawyersyoumeet.Whenalawyertellsyouthatshehas
alotofclientcontact,askherwhatthatmeans.Thereisabigdifferencebetweensendinganoccasionallettertotheassistantgeneral
counselandflyingtoclientheadquarterstoengageinalldaystrategysessionswiththeofficers.Whenalawyertellsyouthathegetsa
lotofinterestingassignments,askforexamples.Youmaybesurprisedatwhatpassesforinterestingatthefirm.Andwhenalawyer
tellsyouthatassociatesarehappyatthefirm,askforspecifics.Howmanyassociateswerehiredfiveyearsago?Howmanyofthose
associatesremainatthefirm?Whowerethelastthreeassociatestoleavethefirm?Whataretheydoingnow?Howcanyoucontact
them?

...

YouhavetobecarefulincrossexaminingprospectiveemployersinthewayIsuggestandtheweakeryouracademicrecord,the
morecarefulyouhavetobe.Youdonotwantprospectiveemployerstothinkthatyouarelazy.Questionsaboutworkloadsandbillable
hoursandrecentlydepartedassociatesshouldbemixedinwithmanyotherquestionsaboutotheraspectsoffirmlife.Bepolite,not
accusatory.Usehumorunlessyoudon'thaveagoodsenseofhumor,inwhichcaseyoushouldgobacktobeingpolite,notaccusatory.
Savethetoughestquestionsforafteryougetanoffer.Butaskthequestionssometime,insomeway,ofsomeone.

Bybeingasmartconsumer,youhaveachanceofdistinguishingthegoodbigfirmsfromthebadbigfirms.Donotexpecttoo
much,though.AsIhaveexplainedatlength,bigfirmsjustarenotsetuptogivetheirlawyersachancetolivefulllives.Theonly
peoplewhocanmakebigfirmmoneywithoutworkingbigfirmhoursarethemostseniorpartnerswhoarelivingofftheskim.Inthe
end,bigfirmlifecomesdowntospendingeightyearsorsobeingexploitedalotsothatyoucanspendanothereightyearsorsobeing
exploitedalittlesothatyoucanspendanothereightyearsorsonotbeingexploitedsothatyoucanfinishyourcareerexploitingothers.

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4.DeveloptheHabitofActingEthically

AsIhaveexplained,whetheryoupracticelawethicallywilldependprimarilyuponthehundredsofmundanethingsthatyouwill
doalmostunthinkinglyeveryday.Tobehaveethically,dayinanddayout,youneedtobeinthehabitofdoingso.Developingthehabit
ofactingethicallyisnodifferentfromdevelopingthehabitofputtingonyourseatbeltorcrackingyourknuckles:Youhavetodoita
lot.Ifyouaregoingtopracticelawethically,youneedtodecidenow,whileyouarestillinlawschool,whatkindoflawyeryouwantto
be,andthenactasthatkindoflawyerwouldact.Always.Everywhere.Inbigthingsandsmall.Donottakethatfirststeptowardbeing
anunethicallawyer.I'mtellingyouI'mpromisingyouthatsometimeduringyourfirstcoupleyearsofpractice,youwillbesittingat
yourdesklateatnightwithyourpenpoisedoveryourtimesheet,andyouwillbetemptedtopadyourhours.Paddingtimesheetsis
theperfectcrimeitisprofitableforyouanditisprofitableforthefirmandthereisvirtuallynochancethatyouwillgetcaught.The
onlythingthatwillstopyoufrompaddingyourtimesheetsisyourownintegrity.

Donotpadyourtimesheetsevenonce.Anddonottellliestopartnersorclientsoropposingcounsel.Anddonotmisrepresent
legalauthoritytojudges.Anddonotbreakyourpromises.Anddonotdoanythingelsethatiscontrarytothevaluesyounowhold.And
finally,whenyouscrewupasIdid,aseverylawyerdoespickyourselfup,dustyourselfoff,andtrythatmuchhardertodevelopthe
habitofactingethically.

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