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Experiencing Legal Profession before Taking It Up

Most law firms avoid posting jobs on Indeed or LinkedIn due to high costs. Instead, they publish them on their own websites, bar association pages, and niche legal boards. LawCrossing finds these hidden jobs, giving you access to exclusive opportunities. Sign up now!

published February 16, 2013

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left

There are many ways you can become introduced to the rigors of the legal profession without necessarily making a career commitment. The best way to develop your own expectations is to take the advice in this article and temper it with actual experience, if you do not already have any. You can develop your own realistic expectations by gaining experience in the law or entering the legal profession through extracurricular activities, courses, internships, temporary work, volunteer activities, and prior employment.

Curriculum Courses

If you are interested in preparing for a legal professional career, you can develop the skills and qualifications early on in order to be a success. If you are already a high school graduate and investigating alternative careers, additional or former education in legal fields is a real plus. Knowing a little bit about everything will be helpful in your career in law, and an education cannot be overlooked.

Aspiring legal professionals should take any vocational or high school courses offered in the field of law. This will show potential employers an early interest to work in a career in law. Specialization or additional courses in the academic fields of English, literature, journalism, foreign languages, and even persuasion in some schools, will help you as an aspiring legal professional to obtain a solid foundation of skills. If you speak a foreign language you may have an advantage over other job applicants at firms or organizations that have a multilingual client base. Further, computer skills courses such as keyboard-ing, typing. Word, and WordPerfect, along with spreadsheet software such as Lotus and Excel will often help you get your foot in the door at a new firm or organization.

Debate Classes

By learning litigation tactics in debate class, you will be able to anticipate the needs of attorneys and learn how to research an issue and argue it. Debate principles and procedures apply to oral advocacy, research investigation, and writing briefs. For example, useful debate talents include analyzing evidence; impacting arguments by stating why, how or when; defining words; expressing values only if relevant to claim evaluation; focusing on resolution, instead of generic ideas; formulating, comparing, and rebutting arguments; and the obligation to clash with another's views. Debaters learn basic principles inherent in litigation, including discouraged legal tactics that encompass intimidation; incivility; making politically incorrect arguments; saying your opponent agreed to, dropped, or conceded something he or she did not; making new arguments or improperly extending them in rebuttals; and making arguments you said you would not. Debaters manage legal-like stress and anxiety that attorneys and other legal professionals face. This experience can increase your job performance as a legal professional in a support role to an attorney, and mentally prepare you for the rigors of a legal profession.

Public Speaking and Drama Classes

Meeting with attorneys, judges, and other law professionals may be intimidating; public speaking and drama can help you learn proper presentation and decorum, even if you are terrified. You should learn to hide your emotion and present a professional demeanor at all times, even if this means an Emmy nomination for your performance. In public speaking class, you will learn how to formulate logical and coherent presentations. In drama class, you will learn how to appeal to audiences, using proper inflection and demeanor.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities can teach legal strategy, negotiation, public speaking, and persuasion, along with political processes. Student government orients people to the legislative branch. The more power vested in a student government association, the more the participants will learn. Some members of student government associations learn how to draft resolutions and bills. Members, who do so, learn basic principles of drafting pleadings and interpreting laws. In student government, members negotiate and develop supporting factions in the student's interest, in much the same way that legal professionals serve and protect the interests of their clients. Legal analysis can sometimes rest on legislative intent, so, knowing how this process works can help legal professionals conduct better research and present legislative intent behind statutes.

United States
Internships

Internships are opportunities to work for a firm or organization in order to acquire experience. Many interns receive little or no pay, but they may receive educational credit from their schools, if allowed. If you have no experience or qualifications and cannot find employment, you could offer to intern for a firm or organization in order to acquire the experience you need and assess the merits of a related career. If you are acquiring an education at a university, high school, or vocational school, you should contact your school to learn whether it offers credits for internships in lieu of other educational requirements.

Legislative internships provide students with an understanding of political and legislative processes. Every internship offers different responsibilities and opportunities for growth and training. Legislative interns may learn about legal, market, and constituency research and how to use the results of such research. They witness firsthand a legislator’s personal and professional concerns and how the legislative process operates. Washington, D.C. is the ideal location for a legislative internship. Alternatively, a state internship would expose legal professionals to local politics and provide them with valuable community contacts. An experience as an intern will provide you with invaluable exposure to politics and the law. A legislative internship is directly relevant to a career as a political consultant. Other internships may be available in marketing or management. Most commonly, internships are readily available for legal assistants, aspiring political consultants, and legal marketing professionals.

Temporary Work

If you are not sure if you want a career in law, and you need a paycheck, you should explore temporary legal staffing. According to Ameii L. Walker, a long-term temporary employee, "The temporary employment industry is the largest single employer of people in the work force." She likes being a temporary employee for the following reasons.
 
  • She can choose which assignments to accept. Her temporary agency takes care of her when the assignment is not what she expected.
  • She can work short-term or long-term assignments and choose to work close to home.
  • She is not tied down to one desk, but if she likes the company and they want to hire her, she can accept full-time employment.

Walker says that a lack of benefits and leaving new friends are the biggest pitfalls of temporary work. Her recommendation is that temporary employees take advantage of any and all training classes offered.

Volunteer Activities

Every state has its own agencies and organizations that need volunteers in the legal community. States generally have programs that accept volunteers to help with domestic violence intervention programs and services, witness protection, district attorney office functions, public defender office functions, indigent defense organizations, mediation, politics and campaigning, legislative assistance, and even tribal courts. More can be learned about national volunteer opportunities that may relate to a legal career at the following web sites.

As a volunteer, you should act with the same level of professionalism and reliability you would as if receiving a salary. This will motivate others to train you and help you learn what you need to know from the experience. The volunteer organizations should expect this of you and treat you accordingly.

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.
Gain an advantage in your legal job search. LawCrossing uncovers hidden positions that firms post on their own websites and industry-specific job boards—jobs that never appear on Indeed or LinkedIn. Don't miss out. Sign up now!

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