If you are a mid-level or senior associate, it’s very likely that you’ve been asked by the recruiting department at your law firm to interview prospective summer or lateral associates. Most of these will be “second round” or “final round” interviews, not done on campus at law schools, but instead at the firm’s office. More like a mini-series of interviews that conclude with lunch, these interviews give you, the interviewer, twenty minutes or half hour with the candidate before they get shuttled to the next office.
One of the standard questions asked during these interviews is, “So why are you interested in our firm?” Candidates give a variety of responses, including the type of work offered, a particular partner they want to work for, etc. But a common thread in the response is some mention of “early responsibility.” New associates crave early responsibility the way a drowning man craves oxygen. They clamor for it, they know from talking to classmates at law school that it’s important to get it, they understand that it will help them develop as lawyers, so they keep repeating it: “I want early responsibility. I want early responsibility. I want early responsibility.” This phrase is repeated about six or seven times per interview — one time per 20 or 30 minute slot — multiplied by ten or more interviews at various firms. So by the time the candidate reaches your desk, he or she may very well have repeated this mantra fifty or a hundred times–so many times that you wonder whether the words really mean anything at that point.
Of course, if candidates believe that your firm offers early responsibility–whatever that means–who are you to tell them otherwise? “Of course we do,” you say (as you roll your eyes). You’re secretly wondering: do they even know what the hell they are asking for? You wonder this because, as a mid-level to senior associate, you had once prayed to the gods of early responsibility as well, and know that it wasn’t what you expected.
Here’s the secret, for all you junior associates out there reading this: early responsibility means doing stuff that is WAY out of your comfort zone. If you’ve never been to court, and you want to argue a motion before a judge, that’s great–but do you have any idea of how to go about doing that? Do you know how to make an appearance, whether you need to file anything prior to the appearance, give notice to opposing counsel, pay any court fees, get permission from the court if you are bringing presentation materials in the courtroom? Like you learned in law school, the answer is, “It depends.” Every situation is different, and only experience or guidance will allow you to navigate these tricky waters without either (1) violating a court rule and seriously pissing off the judge; (2) making a fool out of yourself and losing what little credibility you may have had with opposing counsel; (3) committing legal malpractice.
The point is this: you may want early responsibility, but make sure you really want it. Make sure you know what it means to get real early responsibility (see the last post, “Two ships passing in the night” for what pseudo early responsibility is). Make sure you are willing to flop like a fish out of water, gasp for air, and barely make it back to the ocean. If that’s not your cup of tea, you may want to reconsider saying “I want early responsibility.”
Be careful what you wish for.
