It is not only the parlance in general which confuses those not in the world of the law professions. Law entities are filled with phrases and words about their hierarchies and their tasks. The following are a few of them:
Pro bono
The actual translation for this phrase is “for the good of the public.” Pro bono refers to those hours mandated by the American Bar Association for every barrister. The American Bar Association actually requires fifty hours, but state bars suggest less than that. If a law firm gives a lot of pro bono hours, then it is more probable that this entity could be rated higher and preferred by the top students just coming into the legal profession.
Billable hours
The term “billable hours” refers to the hours of services done which get paid. Simply put, the more hours a laywer spends on the case, the bigger his or her bill becomes. Law firms are partial to new lawyers in their firm who acquire a significant amount of billable hours.
The hierarchy in a law firm
Paralegal: Paralegals have not yet passed the bar exam, but they do have the knowledge to be hired within the industry. They do legal research, legal documents, and could even give advice to clients for as long as an actual lawyer is supervising them.
Summer Associate: Interns from the law schools, usually hired for just a period of 3 months, are referred to as summer associates. Later on, if a summer associate impresses the law entity, he or she can be pulled in to work for the firm in the capacity of an associate.
Associates: These are the newly hired members of the firm. The associate is the entry-level post in a law firm.
Partners: Partners refer to the post all newbies dream of getting in the soonest time possible. If one is an equity partner, he or she owns a fraction of the company. Not just that, the lucrative thing is that the partner shares in the overall revenues made by the company.
Photo Credit : donnamarijne
The career services departments of law schools work with law firms searching for “new blood” to be able to match the intership or job position with the right applicant. Many law firms woo potential interns and employees through various benefits and perks but the potential applicants should first meet the law firms’ standards.
Skills in communication
Without a doubt, lawyers have to have above-average skills in communcation. As an applicant, you should be able to display excellent written and oral communication skills. After all, your tasks as an intern or employee usually involve drafting legal briefs, arguments, and other documents that may be used in actual proceedings.
Exceptional grades
Having excellent grades is definitely a plus when applying in top law firms. There are law firms that mainly target students or applicants who belong to the top percentile of their classes. If you don’t have excellent grades, however, don’t despair. Grades may be the easiest factors to measure but it is not the only basis of law firms when looking for potential interns or employees.
Loyalty
Law firms also consider an applicant’s loyalty and staying power in determining if he or she really deserves a slot in the company. There are law firms that offer their prospective employees with perks like expensive dinners, allowances, trips, etc. This is for them to see who among the group of newbies or interns would stay on after the internship phase. A good intern would accept these perks and still do their responsibilities with full efficiency.
To summarize the things law firms look for in applicants, it’s best that you exhibit excellent communication skills, above-average critical and analytical thinking, and the right attitude. Although grades are not the sole criterion of many law firms, your academic performance says a lot about your ability to cope with pressure and still produce excellent results.
Photo Credit : NYCgal
