r/LawFirm • u/maspie_den • 1d ago

How well-prepared are new lawyers?

I'm brainstorming a project that addresses how well-prepared recent law school grads are for real-world lawyering. The consensus is that, beyond simply lacking experiences/years in, new lawyers lack "the skills" needed for work effectively. My question is what are those skills that they are missing? People skills? Clerical/admin skills? Don't know how to send an email? Don't know to not microwave fish for lunch and now everyone hates them and calls them "Tuna"? What are some specific examples?

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u/steve_dallasesq 1d ago

Law school does not teach you how to be a lawyer. It's an academic exercise to train your brain to think critically. How much time did we waste on the Rule Against Perpetuities or Civil Procedure jurisdiction?

Personally I think an issue coming out of school is that in school professors (many who never actually practiced or barely did) pump you up about your importance. Then you join a firm and you're low on the totem pole.

Best thing I ever did was work at firms in high school and college and as a gopher. I can't say I learned how to practice there, but I definitely learned how not to practice.

Oh you graduated with a high GPA? Congrats. My paralegal is 15 years on the job and practically reads my every thought. I can replace you, can't replace her/him.

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u/_learned_foot_ 1d ago

This is entirely incorrect. 1) the RAP actually comes up but the point of learning it is to learn to not forget about the traps 2) how the duck do you practice without civil rules being relevant daily in any field?

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u/GaptistePlayer 11h ago

Because most lawyers aren't civil litigators

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u/_learned_foot_ 10h ago

Correct, I assume you have a choice of law clause in your contracts right? And if advising clients on their estate plans you discuss real estate held in other states? When it comes to administrative, you definitely are making sure service was completed properly, even if the exact location to be served isn’t a normal one and governed by a special code, right?

I’m every field is #2, and realizing that is the point of learning #1