Reading 3: Law firm culture

Pre-reading task.

A) Look through the following words to make sure that you know them, learn those you don’t.

solo[ ]	(adj.) сольний; одиночний; самостійний; (adv.) поодинці; соло
boutique firm[bu:΄ti:k]	невеличка агенція, що надає мінімальну кількість спеціалізованих послуг
tremendous[tri΄mendəs]	величезний, гігантський
to vary [ ] to vary a few minutes one way or the other the prices vary with the season   the second edition varied little from the first opinions vary on this point	1. змінювати; вносити зміни; мінятися, змінюватися; коливатися в межах декількох хвилин   ціни залежать від сезону 2. різнитися; розходитися; відхилятися; відрізнятися друге видання мало відрізнялося від першого   думки з цього питання розходяться
to tend to tend to / towardsradicalism	1. мати тенденцію; схилятись (до чогось); прагнути; 2. мати схильність, бути схильним; мати властивість; мати в собі елементи (чогось) схилятися до радикалізму;
network	мережа, взаємозв’язана група людей, організація, спільнота

1. Read this excerpt from an article in a law-school newspaper about law firm culture. Which type of firm would you prefer to work for? Why?

  One factor which plays an important role in the culture of a law firm is its size. Law firms can range from a one-person solo practice (conducted by a sole practitioner) to global firms employing hundreds of attorneys all over the world. A small law firm, which typically engages from two to ten lawyers, is sometimes known as a boutique firm, as it often specialises in a specific area of the law. A mid-size law firm generally has ten to 50 lawyers, while a large law firm is considered to be one employing 50 or more attorneys.  

2. Read about Richard, a law student, talking to a group of first-year law students at an orientation event at law school. He tells them about his experience as a clerk in different law firms. Answer these questions.

1.Why do the professors encourage students to do work experience?

2. How long have Richard’s clerkships generally lasted?

3. What is Richard’s final piece of advice?

Hi, for those of you who don’t know me yet, my name’s Richard Bailey. I’m here to tell you about my experience doing summer and winter clerkships. In law school, the professors will always tell you that it’s important to do some sort of work experience because it’ll improve your future job opportunities. Have you heard that yet? Well, it’s definitely true. I’m now in my last year here, and I started doing summer and winter clerkships in my first year. It’s been a tremendous learning experience.

Most of my clerkships have lasted for a period of four weeks. I’ve tried to vary the firms I work for, from a small two-man firm right through to a huge global firm. Each firm was different. At smaller firms, I was expected to be more independent and was responsible for more things. I liked that a lot. Since I was usually the only clerk there at the time, I’d have to do whatever work needed to be done.

Working at the bigger firms was quite different. I was usually one among many clerks. The work I performed there tended to concern bigger cases that were quite important and so they had more ‘prestige’ [ ]. That was really interesting. At the larger firms, I usually had a chance to move between groups in different practice areas, helping out where needed. This allowed me to gain some insight into what was involved in the legal work carried out in these teams and in the different practice areas.

At the smaller firms, I wrote case briefs for the partners and associates, and all kinds of correspondence with clients from the first day on, which I liked doing. At the bigger firms, I was asked to do research and to help to maintain court books. That was a useful learning experience, too.

In my opinion, the main advantage of a clerkship at a large firm is that you meet a lot of new people. There’s a big network of people - so many different lawyers and clients. There’s also a greater emphasis on learning and developing the various skills a lawyer needs in courses and seminars.

I must say that both the larger and the smaller firms tried to give me a sense of being a part of the company, as if I really belonged to their team. At the larger firms, I was even invited to some of their social events, and that was really fun. However, the smaller firms definitely made you feel more comfortable: everything was more friendly and relaxed. But in both types of firms I never felt that I was wasting my time.

My advice to you all is that it’s really important to try to do clerkships, starting in your first year of law school. I also think it’s valuable to get to know a variety of firms, with different practice areas and different sizes. I’m sure it will help you decide what kind of law you want to practise later, and what kind of law firm you’d feel most comfortable in.

3. Read through the text again and tick the advantages of small and large law firms Richard mentions. In some cases, he says both types of firm have the same advantage.

Advantages	Small firms	Large firms
more autonomy and responsibility
opportunity to work on prestigious cases
chance to rotate through different practice areas
asked to write briefs and letters
allowed to conduct research and manage court books
opportunity to make many contacts
more training offered
made to feel part of a team
invited to participate in social events
family-like atmosphere
made good use of time

4. Discuss these questions.

1.Do you have any experience working as a clerk in a law firm? In what ways was it similar or different from Richard’ experience?

2. What kinds of tasks and responsibilities do clerks in a firm have?

3. Do you agree with the way Richard characterises small and large law firms?

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