Embrace it.

I’m pleased to announce that I have signed a book deal with ABA Publishing. The book is focused on the transition from law school to law practice. It will be released Fall 2013. 

MarbleandtheSculptorcover

The entire legal industry is in a state of flux. Legal work is being automated, down-sized, and outsourced. The amount of work is shrinking as well. Clients have become more intelligent and scrutinizing. Corporate work is being moved in- house. Contract attorneys are on the rise. People are turning to LegalZoom and Rocketlawyer instead of a local lawyer for “routine” work.

At the same time law schools are flooding the legal job market with a glut of new lawyers; unequipped, uninformed, and untrained to deal with the realities of the current legal environment. These new lawyers are cast adrift into turbulent waters without a hand to steady them. They can not look to their law schools for help as law schools have been miserable at properly preparing their graduates to function as useful attorneys. Law firms and clients no longer want to foot the bill to train new lawyers on the job either. And with the oversupply of lawyers available, it is easier than ever for law firms to pick up experienced lawyers for low rates.

So new lawyers enter the marketplace without any guidance on how to evolve into professionals while thirsting for direction. They need mentorship, camaraderie, and solace. And there is little out there for them. I’ve talked about this problem often. I’ve also complained that something needs to be done about it. So here’s my first step (among many planned) in doing something about it: a book for new lawyers, by a new lawyer. Someone who has seen the same types of people and problems. Faced the same trials and dashed dreams but come out the other side all the better for it.

I have detailed my own growing pains online at Associate’s Mind for nearly three years and offered a transparent look at my own transition process. With the release of this book, I will present a detailed, inside view of the path I have taken in effort to become the best attorney I can possibly be. Not that I am finished – I am certainly a work in progress. I hope to always be growing and striving to be a better attorney.

What I lay out is not the best path, nor the right one for everyone. But it should provide you a blueprint from which you can craft your own path to becoming a great attorney.

Share This