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Don’t Forget the Significant Others Present at Court

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published September 04, 2012

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left

With the current state of the economy, there's a rise in the numbers of new law graduates and young lawyers trying to set up things for themselves and going solo or floating small partnerships. While client management is the first and most obvious need, and is the gateway to success (something many lawyers are curiously able to do for quite a long time without understanding the law at all), sustaining success and growth depends upon delivery of service.
 
Checklist for young lawyers going solo

As long as the delivery of service is outside courtrooms, that is during negotiations, drafting, or other legal work – the parameters upon which the growth potentials of a lawyer are judged is different. However, once you set your foot inside the court – which you'd have to do if going solo or starting a small firm, things take on quite different perspectives from everyday law firm work. This is the place of worship for lawyers who are litigators and see litigation as the highest function of law. And here you need to be watchful of many things, and mind your manners above all things.

However, in courtroom practice, young lawyers can often castrate their growth by making slips they fail to mark. This happens because young lawyers are focused on their cases and their adversaries to the exclusion of all else – losing sight of the significant others present in the courtroom – the courtroom staff, other law firm staff, clients of other lawyers, and the judge or justices or jury. All of these people form the base of a dense social network for client acquisition and referrals and people who would be judging you every day based on visible performance. This article is essentially a brief checklist to keep things in mind that helps to draw the favor of those significant others present in the courtroom, and propel your career as a litigator forward and up. More significantly, this is a checklist that will help young lawyers not to alienate those significant others upon whom his/her career growth as a litigator depends.

Be on time

Tardiness is regarded with displeasure by all concerned and is considered disruptive of courtroom sessions. The tardy attorney throws off the schedule of everyone else and is pegged as someone who puts everyone concerned at inconvenience. Emergencies of an otherwise punctual attorney is pardoned – but tardiness is a sure shot way of nipping your career in the bud. Well, there are those attorneys, for whom the court and others do wait, and do not mind waiting, but they are not only highly established, but their occasions of being late are few and far between.

Be polite with adversaries

It's easy for young blood to get carried away in arguments and cross the borders of propriety and civil behavior. However, even a single instance of incivility is remembered in court circles and leaves a negative impression that is difficult to get rid of. Impolite behavior with adversaries quickly alienates a lawyer to both the bar and the bench as well as to all significant others. No judge likes to play the referee between two quarreling attorneys – judges like to solve the problems between the litigants not the problems between lawyers.
United States

Long-windedness and beating around the bush

People in a courtroom see lack of brevity and failure to get directly to the point on the part of a lawyer as severe demerits. A succinct argument is a successful argument. Streamline your verbiage and make the legal issues clear, don't make others work harder to find out the meaningful things you intend to say. It gets noted, even court staff notice it, and the word gets around.

Being a casualty of casualness

Be serious and formal inside a courtroom. It's not the place for friendly chats and giggles or laughter. Casual behavior can put you in the bad books of everyone in a courtroom because it shows your disrespect for the process. Even in pleadings and while arguing, attorneys must address each other with their last names and honorifics even if they are bosom buddies outside the courtroom. While on record, do not address questions directly to opposing counsel, and do not show chumminess with him even in the court corridors – clients hate their counsel being chummy with opponent counsel.

Another major way by which you can become a casualty of casualness is by being insufficiently prepared. This usually leads to fumbling around for notes, being unaware of the issues, reading from pleadings in court, and other setbacks that usually puts you on the wrong foot. Being able to work yourself out of such situations is expected, but putting yourself in such situations in the first place is unexpected and unwanted.

About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations—from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

  • Immigration law
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Insurance defense
  • Family law
  • Trusts & estates
  • Municipal law
  • And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

  • Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
  • Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
  • Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
  • Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success – The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm’s unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison’s legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here.

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials—he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison’s work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

  • Finds and creates job openings that aren’t publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
  • Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
  • Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney—no matter their background, law school, or previous experience—has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

  • Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
  • Senior attorneys who believed they were “too experienced” to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
  • Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options—only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
  • Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist—often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today – Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison’s expertise will help you take control of your future.

? Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.
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