1) Publish the whole interview.

2) John Grisham gives an interview to ATL and it's wasted on Elie?

3) John Grisham didn't know that there's no Princeton Law School? Really? I would allege that Grisham = Elie, but Grisham can write a paragraph with fewer than six grammatical errors.

Nice scoop ATL!

I'm guessing John Grisham's son is NOT particuarly concerned about paying off his ginormous law school loans.

Let the stories roll - we need some outrageous Biglaw stories to let loose. Anyone?

Wow, exclusive interview...pretty cool. Nice job, Elie.

Wow, John, your son is quite the hero for turning down that BIGLAW job what with the millions and millions of dollars his father has in the bank. Give me a break.

This just shows you what a hack Grisham is. He is writing a hatchet-job on big firms based on the observations of a guy who spent one year in the law and that guy's jr associate friends. But then, he didn't want to take the time to actually observe a few firms. Or maybe ask senior associates and lawyers why they were there. Because he thinks he already knows the answer: $$$$. Maybe he can come down to NYC family court and see where many biglaw associates spend alot of their time.

4 - it must be easy to look down at biglaw when you're a multimillionaire author.

Grisham seems to ignore the fact that people don't work in biglaw to be doc review monkeys making $160k. They go into biglaw so they can either make partner and make $1m+ with better hours, or pay down some of their loans and then leave for (presumably) a better job than they could have received if they started as a small-town lawyer.

That's great that Mr. Grisham is proud of his son for choosing the non-big law firm path and that he seems to look down on those stupid enough to choose the big law path. His son likely can be assured that, if he fails to succeed in the law, he won't be on the street or bankrupt, or at least have no retirement or means to provide for his family. However, few young attorneys have a family with the significant wealth of Mr. Grisham, and many are from meager family circumstances where they have significant debts and need to make significant money to provide a solid financial base for their own family. I agree that associates that choose big law know what they're getting into and are responsible for their own decisions, but this holier than thou view of the children of the wealthy choosing a public interest path- is a consistent pattern and is obnoxious.

You wrote 100 pages before realizing that Princeton doesn't have a law school? I guess if it did, you wouldn't have been considering it when you picked University of Mississippi to get your J.D.

This book is only coming out today. Nice heads up ATL. Totally getting this tonight.

Do not repost comments after they have been removed, or you will be banned.....

"John Grisham sat down with us this morning for an exclusive blog interview to discuss his new book, The Associate. The book's main character, Kyle McAvoy, is a Biglaw associate with a mysterious past and intriguing future. "

This opening paragraph has all the grace of a ninth grade book report.

14 / Pulitzer winner: How would you have written the lead for this?

11 nailed it.

I've read every other Grisham book, and will probably read this one, but I don't have very high hopes for it.

Comment removed by moderator.

[though I thought it was innocent enough]

Will Grisham sign copies of the book for Big Law associates?

I find Grisham's books offensive.

Is it me or has Grisham become more interested in preaching than telling a story? I know it's possible to do both, but his last book, The Appeal, just seemed unusually heavy-handed in the preachy sense. That said, I'll continue to read his stuff. Preachiness (and his liberal leanings) aside, he can usually spin a good tale.

#11 is a jealous tool. Nobody but BigLaw dickwads cares where you went to school.

I doubt Grisham's "brave" son had any student loans to worry about as he sits unemployed looking for that public interest job he always wanted.

Also, if I was an author purporting to have some insights about NY BIGLAW and I didn't know that Princeton and Brown didn't have law schools, I would bury that fact in the recesses of my memory and never admit it.

Are we seriously to believe that John Grisham didn't know that neither Princeton nor Brown has a law school? Really? And we are supposed to trust and respect this guy as a fellow lawyer?

And the whole "my son is going to do work for the poor" bit is absolutely obnoxious coming from a gillionaire.

I think I'll boycott this one and save the two hours it would have taken to read.

How could John Grisham, who has made a highly successful career in writing about lawyers (albeit fiction), not know that Princeton (or Brown for that matter) did not have a law school!!! You have got to be kidding me.

This is akin to Steven King saying I had the book set in Brazil when I realized no Sasquatch sightings have ever been reported there. I ended up with the Pacific Northwest instead.

Biglaw associates spend time in family court? Funny that I never see them there. Biglaw is all about the money. Nobody would go through all that crap if there was no money in it. Of course, having done biglaw and moved on to shitlaw, I will tell you that there is absolutely no reason to hate on biglaw when smaller firms are million times worse in every respect.

I've lost some respect for Grisham. Writing 100 pages before realizing that Princeton doesn't have a law school is pathetic. And his holier-than-thou attitude toward biglaw is distasteful.

Was The Appeal any good?

What is Grisham's best book? I loved Runaway Jury (but not the Cusack film based on it).

25, Stephen King sets nearly all of his books in Maine. He's not naive enough to write about what he doesn't know.

Probably would have read the book until I read this interview. All respect for the guy went out the window in 7 minutes.

King of Torts is his best book. The guy is no Dickens, but his stuff is better than most mass market books today.

F*** Grisham. His books suck now anyways. He has only written two good ones, The Testament and The Brethren. After that they all are too predictable and full of high and mighty jibberish, not to mention legal inaccuracies, see, e.g. The King of Torts. It's kind of amazing to know that Grisham actually was a lawyer because you wouldn't know that from reading his explanation of the law.

It's easy to condemn biglaw when you have millions in the bank and can spend a year in Italy research for The Broker (pure garbage).

Why does Grisham assume everyone in Biglaw is miserable? I am in Biglaw. I have a crapload of debt that is keeping me here, but I honestly like my job, subject area and work that I'm doing. I'd probably be working here even if I had millions in the bank. I certainly would have still gone to law school because I thought (and still think) you can do more with a law degree than anything else.

I refuse to read the new Grisham book, just like his last 4 books.

Grisham's son sounds offensive. Please travel to Ole Miss and moderate.

31: I disagree with you - I actually think Grisham's books are more poorly-written than most mass marketed books, which says a lot.

I, too, cannot believe this dude didn't know that neither Princeton nor Brown have law schools.

"I wrote the first 100 pages of the book having it set at Princeton. One night I was doing some research and I realized that there was no law school at Princeton. Then I went to Brown.... no law school at Brown."

I was top of my class at PLS.

There is nothing honorable in turning down a biglaw job in favor of unemployment. That's financially irresponsible, lazy, and immature. We all come out of law school with nothing but entry-level qualifications, and we'd all like the rewarding, low stress job, but we take what we can get. If he can only get a biglaw gig, it's far more respectable to take that undesirable job and start earning some money rather than (presumably) living off of someone else while you wait for your dream opportunity to knock on the front door.

"you can do more with a law degree than anything else. "

I'm sure scientists, doctors and engineers agree with that comment. Please, STFU. Besides helping you become a political shill the JD's only other attribute is that it allows you practice the crap profession of law.

Grisham is actually a fine example of just what you can accomplish once you decide to put your JD in a closet and never take it out again.

LAST

From Amazon:

"Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential."

Surprised he got "The Yale Law Journal" correct. I really expected it to be called "The Yale Law Review," and Kyle to be the "president."

Wow, a MysTTTal post that didn't suck. I'm impressed.

37: It's irresponsible, lazy, etc. when you dwell in the real world. When you dwell in a fantasy world in which you actually have the option to work for $0 or $30K, it becomes heroic.

This new format is f***ing stupid. Let me get this straight:

In order to "protect" those weak-stomached readers, you automatically hid all the comments. Now, in order to see the comments, we have to take the extra step of clickingon the "Show them anyway!" button.

If those pusstards don't want to read comments, they should have some self control and QUIT SCROLLING DOWN WHEN THEY HIT THE ADVERTISMENTS!!! Or is that too much to ask now that we have a nation full of hand-holders at teet-suckers?

Love,

BIG CHICAGO DAN

Princeton Law is prestigious. I find that offensive.

grisham's first book is his best book, "a time to kill." (it was published by a small independent firm.) nothing after compares.

I agree on the preaching re: his kid.

I come from a qualitatively similar situation. Family is rich. Not Grisham rich, but much more than we could spend down unless we were morons. No student loans. No other obnoxious forms of debt. Easy co-signs for anything. Access to emergency capital at little/no interest. Access to a large family home if things really go to hell for a sustained period of time.

Also the whole "inherited wealth" thing at some point. Makes raising a family and retireing a hell of a lot easier.

You better believe that impacted how I viewed the +'s and -'s of various career paths - not to mention how I viewed some of the recruiting luxury items (yawn).

Now all of that said, I knew plenty of people in school who were just unapolegetic greedy bastards who lost all focus on what they really wanted to do or their professed moral values as soon as money was dangled. Not all of these people were poor. Let's be honest - most people who go to elite law schools are upper middle class background..

Some biglaw associates don't deserve any sympathy, but using a kid with generational wealth as an example is a little, ah, out of touch.

I agree on the preaching re: his kid.

I come from a qualitatively similar situation. Family is rich. Not Grisham rich, but much more than we could spend down unless we were morons. No student loans. No other obnoxious forms of debt. Easy co-signs for anything. Access to emergency capital at little/no interest. Access to a large family home if things really go to hell for a sustained period of time.

Also the whole "inherited wealth" thing at some point. Makes raising a family and retireing a hell of a lot easier.

You better believe that impacted how I viewed the +'s and -'s of various career paths - not to mention how I viewed some of the recruiting luxury items (yawn).

Now all of that said, I knew plenty of people in school who were just unapolegetic greedy bastards who lost all focus on what they really wanted to do or their professed moral values as soon as money was dangled. Not all of these people were poor. Let's be honest - most people who go to elite law schools are upper middle class background..

Some biglaw associates don't deserve any sympathy, but using a kid with generational wealth as an example is a little, ah, out of touch.

FIRSTY!!!!

Guess what folks: in reality, the fact that Princeton and Brown (two elite schools) do not have law schools is actually surprising, even among some lawyers (especially from lower tiers). It's only the peaople on this Board, who flock to the Bookstores to masturbate to the latest U.S. News rankings, that memorize all law schools in existence.

25: Your attempted analogy makes no sense. There have been many, many sasquatch sightings in Brazil. (Except there, it's called "El Sasquacho").

FIRSTILICIOUS!!!

I graduated from childrens' books to Grisham and Michael Crichton when I was about 9, so I have some pretty fond memories of "The Firm" and "A Time To Kill."

That said, this narrative where the big-firm makes the hard sell, and then it turns out to be full of sinister happenings seems weirdly overblown.

The life of a general lawyer in a small town seems suffused with routine. Routine divorce. Routine will. Routine criminal plea agreement.

Not much different, really, than routine doc review, other than less hours, maybe, and less money, certainly.

To the extent that lawyers get excited over working out a novel argument or analogy to encourage a favorable outcome in a case that has a subtle but significant difference from the existing precedent, a big-law kind of practice is going to contain more of this than a smaller practice.

But, to the extent that you have fairly complicated litigation, the big-firm work is going to be fairly similar to the work going on on the other side, except the big firm will have more people billing more hours on it and, hopefully will come up with a better argument or brief as a result.

Grisham, I think, doesn't really write about law; he's merely writing solid formula thrillers that occur within law firms. He's not the only one doing this; the recent film "Michael Clayton" is a similar product.

A fantastical premise where the wall panels behind the firm's art collection are stuffed with the bodies of murdered whistleblowers is much more visceral as a genre hook than a lawyer's vaguely uneasy feeling about how he can prevail on a procedural motion on behalf of a client who should, perhaps, lose on the merits.

FIRSTILICIOUS!!!

I graduated from childrens' books to Grisham and Michael Crichton when I was about 9, so I have some pretty fond memories of "The Firm" and "A Time To Kill."

That said, this narrative where the big-firm makes the hard sell, and then it turns out to be full of sinister happenings seems weirdly overblown.

The life of a general lawyer in a small town seems suffused with routine. Routine divorce. Routine will. Routine criminal plea agreement.

Not much different, really, than routine doc review, other than less hours, maybe, and less money, certainly.

To the extent that lawyers get excited over working out a novel argument or analogy to encourage a favorable outcome in a case that has a subtle but significant difference from the existing precedent, a big-law kind of practice is going to contain more of this than a smaller practice.

But, to the extent that you have fairly complicated litigation, the big-firm work is going to be fairly similar to the work going on on the other side, except the big firm will have more people billing more hours on it and, hopefully will come up with a better argument or brief as a result.

Grisham, I think, doesn't really write about law; he's merely writing solid formula thrillers that occur within law firms. He's not the only one doing this; the recent film "Michael Clayton" is a similar product.

A fantastical premise where the wall panels behind the firm's art collection are stuffed with the bodies of murdered whistleblowers is much more visceral as a genre hook than a lawyer's vaguely uneasy feeling about how he can prevail on a procedural motion on behalf of a client who should, perhaps, lose on the merits.

My son turned down a big law job, and he is unemployed, but I am so proud of him because he offered to mow our lawn for a $250K/year allowance. Since I am filthy rich, I figured it was a good deal.

Is Grisham serious? So he turned down a job to be unemployed and you are proud of him? Would you be so proud if you weren't a millionaire and could pay him to sit around?

I don't see Grisham's "writing" as being much different from doing the doc review he so scorns. Trained baboons could do either.

Didn't Lionel Hutz go to Princeton Law?

we don't all have a rich daddy to pay for our educations like Grisham's little boy. some of us actually have to earn money to survive and pay off our loans. Grisham's out of touch with the lives of real people.

I didn't care much for The Appeal. I read it over the winter break, hoping for nothing more than a good story. What I got instead was a "dissertation" on why judicial elections are evil.

47 - enlighten us what you decided to do with your law degree when paying down student loans wasn't a factor.

In all fairness, if we had to admit it, most of us took out the loans so we could go make a Big Firm salary.

Didn't Lionel Hutz go to Princeton Law?

I think Jackie Chiles was EIC of Princeton Law Review.

(please don't delete me)

Well, his attitude might leave something to be desired, but much of what he's saying isn't untrue-- most of the work BigLaw associates see is rather unimportant and mundane, and very little "legal skills" see development in those formative early years.

62- Yes he did he was class of 87 and got an A- in torts, there are you happy now

Yes, Lionel Hutz, Esq., did indeed attend Princeton Law.

Simpsons, 1997:

Sideshow Bob: You wanted to be Krusty's sidekick since you were five. What about the buffoon lessons, the four years at clown college.

Cecil Terwilliger: I'll thank you not to refer to Princeton that way.

Simpson quotes are offensive to my delicate ATL sensibilities. Please moderate.

62 - Lionel Hutz went to Knight School of Law and was awarded a Doctor of Lawology. His degree is signed by Anita Jobb, Al C. Yancort, Sue M. All and U.R. Guilty.

(Someone gave me a Lionel Hutz action figure for my desk, and he came with a degree....and a non-smoking monkey)

It's a shame that the world lost John Updike today and it's stuck with John Grisham.

Lionel Hutz, discussing his "problem" with Judge Snyder:

"Well he's had it in for me ever since I kinda ran over his dog... Well, replace the word 'kinda' with 'repeatedly' and the word 'dog' with 'son."

Let's give MysTTTal a cheer for the good, timely post.

How are we 68 comments into this thread without a single Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle reference? The hippie drug dealer probably now has a BigLaw job.

But a big F-U to John Grisham for the holier than thou attitude. I bet if his son didn't have a richer than God daddy and had kids and a gigantic mortgage on a house with negative equity like the rest of us, he'd be worshipping at the altar of BigLaw faster than daddy could write One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

Your honor, I move for a bad court thingy.

My guess is that The Associate : life as an associate :: Paper Chase : Life as a student at HLS.

In other words, it will probably be sensational BS written to sell copies rather than discuss what life in BigLaw is really like. I don't blame him for trying to make money, I like capitalism. But I don't think his thoughts on life as an associate in a BigLaw are worth anything.

Lionel Hutz, attorney-at-law. What's that, a broken neck? Great!

Mr. Simpson, the state bar forbids me from promising you a big cash settlement. But just between you and me, I promise you a big cash settlement.

Lionel Hutz, attorney-at-law. I'm filing a class-action suit against the director on behalf of everyone who was cut from the play. I also play Mitch!

49 - An author who makes a career out of law-themed novels is pretty damned TTT if he's trying to think of a prestigious law school to send a character to and tries Princeton and Brown before thinking of hmm, oh gee, YALE.

Lionel Hutz, executor of Ms. Bouvier's estate. She left a video-will so I earn my fee simply by pressing the "play" button. Pretty sweet, eh?

Late Ms. Bouvier [video-will]: Now let's get down to business...
Hutz [voice dubbed in]: To my executor, Lionel Hutz, I leave $50,000.
Marge: Mr. Hutz!!!
Hutz: You'd be surprised how often that works, you really would.

Hutz: And so, ladies and gentleman of the jury I rest my case.
Judge: Hmmm. Mr. Hutz, do you know that you're not wearing any pants?
Hutz: DAAAA!! I move for a bad court thingy.
Judge: You mean a mistrial?
Hutz: Right!! That's why you're the judge and I'm the law-talking guy.
Judge: You mean the lawyer?
Hutz: Right.

Judge: The foreman will pass the verdict to the bailiff.
[Hutz hands him something]
Judge: This verdict is written on a cocktail napkin. And it still says guilty. And guilty is spelled wrong.
Hutz: Eep.
Judge: Will the foreman please read the real verdict.
Foreman: We find the defendant guilty.
Judge: Marge Simpson, I sentence you to thirty days in prison.
Bailiff: Next case, The National Council of Churches v. Lionel Hutz.
Hutz: Oh yeah, that thing.

Hutz: Mr. Simpson, I was just going through your garbage, and I couldn't help overhearing that you need a babysitter. Of course, being a highly-skilled attorney, my fee is $175 an hour.
Homer: We pay eight dollars for the night, and you can take two popsicles out of the freezer.
Hutz: Three.
Homer: Two.
Hutz: OK, two. And I get to keep this old bird cage.
Homer: Done!
Hutz: [proudly] Still got it.

Give me a break! He is not sympathetic? Who cares. And why would he be anyway. I don't understand what all the fuss is about - being an big firm associate is a pretty damn good gig. Get paid a lot, use your brain, work with smart people. Yeah, it's not like being a professional athlete or a rockstar, but nothing is.

I picked this job because I want to do this job over most other jobs in the world. I consider myself relatively intelligent, or at least intelligent enough that I could've done many many other things with my life. But I chose to be a lawyer, at a big law firm. And what of it. When/if I get sick of it, I'll leave and do something else. That's what everyone else in the world does. Yes, the job gets mundane or frustrating or stressful, but most jobs do. That's why it's a job - it's not supposed to be fun.

I don't know why, but that sympathy bs really grinds my gears. I don't need your sympathy, you phony. Grisham's only claim to fame is that he write about lawyers. So what? Although he is a famous writer, he is a shitty one on the scale of writers as far as I am concerned. Take your sympathy elsewhere, you no-talent ass clown.

"He turned down a big firm job. He doesn't have a job; he's looking now. He's looking at a public defender's office, maybe legal aid.... I'm very proud of that. "

How insightful. Must be good to have a rich daddy who will pay your bills so you don't have to work for a living. Some of us needed to pay our loans. Can't believe this guy actually said this....

Grisham's attitude is really obnoxious and uninformed. Sure, it's wonderful that some people choose to go into public interest law (and many do so regardless of whether they have a trust fund).

But for better or worse, everyone can't be a public interest lawyer, and I'd rather that people who go into public interest are truly committed and passionate about their work, despite the difficulties, than go into it because it feels like a morally better path. Public interest work is not necessarily a good fit for everyone. Many people (myself included) make a better corporate lawyer than a legal aid lawyer. To assume that corporate/biglaw work is morally inferior presumes that corporations are evil, and churning the wheels of corporate transactions (or corporate litigation) is unproductive and worthless. Now that's a valid view, but not a "better" view. That's a point where reasonable people disagree.

As for the work of junior attorneys - sure, mind-numbing due diligence/doc review doesn't seem like the best use of our potential after accumulating a star-studded law school resume. However, I know that I'm a much better lawyer as a second-year than as a first, so somehow useful skills sink in, even when the minutia of your work seem pointless. I've also been fortunate to have great mentors and people who cared about what I was learning along the way, but oftentimes, that's as much a function of luck as your own curiosity. You're not going to be a brilliant lawyer just because you were a brilliant law student, and there's nothing wrong with starting out at the bottom (in any profession). And especially in this economy, you're lucky to have any job at all.

Finally, as many have pointed out above, a start in big law is a good way to break into other more "dreamy" jobs in law. As I was deciding what to do after law school, I looked around and realized that any advanced-career lawyer whose job I found admirable started out in big law. Chances are, they paid off their loans, learned a few useful skills, and were able to go to the next step.

Hutz: Well, you good folks can rest easy now because you've come to the very best in legal representation.
Skinner: Uh, excuse me, is there an Orange Julius stand on this floor?
Hutz: I'll sell you this one, it's almost full.
Skinner: Well, why don't I drink out of a toilet bowl.
Hutz: He'll be back. And as for your case, don't you worry. I've argued in front of every judge in this state -- often as a lawyer. [drinks his Orange Julius]

Last one (this excerpt takes place in Hutz's mall-based practice, called "I Can't Believe It's Not a Law Firm!"

Hutz: All right gentleman. I will take your case. But I will require a thousand dollar retainer.
Bart: A thousand dollars. But your ad says "no money down".
Hutz: Oh, they got this all screwed up. [corrects ad with felt-marker]
Bart: So you don't work on a contingency basis?
Hutz: No, money down. Oops, I shouldn't have the Bar Association logo here either. [Hutz eats ad]

26,

You see them there all the time, just not as attorneys. They are in court getting their 4th or 5th divorce from people who didn't realize that Biglaw = "life-sucking bitch from which there is no escape," despite the $$$,$$$.

Homer: All you can eat--hah!

Hutz: Mr. Simpson, this is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film, “The Never-Ending Story.”

Homer: Do you think I have a case?

Hutz: Now, Homer, I don't use the term “hero” very often. But you are the greatest hero in American history.

Homer: All you can eat--hah!

Hutz: Mr. Simpson, this is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film, “The Never-Ending Story.”

Homer: Do you think I have a case?

Hutz: Now, Homer, I don't use the term “hero” very often. But you are the greatest hero in American history.

These quotes are incredible! Why did I ever stop watching The Simpsons?!

Thanks, Lionel Hutz. You made my day a little brighter.

Because it stopped being funny about ten years ago

1. NYU should become Princeton Law School.
2. Grisham's son goes to Ole Miss. Very unlikely that he can get a biglaw job in NYC. Maybe in Jackson, Miss.
3. Grisham's past few books have sucked. His last book advanced his political agenda i.e. trial lawyers and his points about baseball bats were absurd.
4. Of course, Grisham hates biglaw. He spent his entire time as a lawyer suing people represented by biglaw.

im surprised he caught that princeton didnt have a law school. most of his recent books seem like they didnt have anyone who knew anything about law writing or editing them. the broker was particularly awful.

Elie, how is it you can claim to have an "exclusive" blog interview when the WSJ Law Blog has the interview too?

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/01/27/a-law-blog-qa-with-john-grisham/

Once again, fail.

96 You dumbfucker douche asshole, because it's a different interview. If ATL sat down on thier own, then it qualifies as an exclusive, no matter if someone else also interviews him later.
And that fail parlance is pure asinine dumbshit.

Im surprised; I love the substantive, dynamic assignments I receive at my V5 law firm. Too bad his son couldn't cut it and get an interview here.

Not everyone is obsessed with where people went to school as the XO/ATL crowd is. I didn't know what the hell the V15 or T14 was until I came to NY Biglaw.

Nor did I know Princeton does not have a law school. Who the hell cares?

This interview makes me really dislike John Grisham. Who is he to judge the choice to become a law firm associate? He just writes mediocre books (getting worse each time) and makes a fortune. He isn't saving the world.

26,

You see them there all the time, just not as attorneys. They are in court getting their 4th or 5th divorce from people who didn't realize that Biglaw = "life-sucking evil from which there is no escape," despite the $$$,$$$.

Seems like half of the NYU class is Princeton grads, and I must say they are pretty sharp and well-adjusted as a group. Thank you good sir for posting the Hutz quotes. I am going to drop at least one at my interview tomorrow; I'm thinking "bad court thingy."

So he didn't know there was no law school at Princeton, big deal. I did not know there was poop all over their buildings and nobody give me shit because of it.

70: I almost posted the same exact sentiment.

83, you said "no-talent ass clown" and it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling like I was performing in a law school musical. Thanks.

hopefully enthusiasts will read the book and realize potential downfalls of what bigfirms offer, understand it's not for everyone, and gain a higher vision for those law degrees many are wasting now.

Comment removed by moderator.

You guys LOVE to bash biglaw until someone famous does so too. Now all of the sudden you are defensive of biglaw associates?

I love how the protaganist in this book has to be "wooed" by a big firm in order to recruit him. Gimme a break. Very few twenty-something law students need to be wooed by employers willing to pay them six figure salaries. Grisham's novels are entertaining, but the idea that they reflect some kind of reality in the big firm world is a joke.

Little known fact - Princeton did almost open a law in the 70's. There was talk of NYU's school of law (professors and students) moving and becoming Princeton's law school back when NYU (as a university) was doing very poorly back in the 60's or 70's. It would have a been a deal that injected cash in NYU from Princeton, however, it never came to fruition. Heard this first hand from NYU's current president and former law school dean John Sexton.

Actually, 107, they're not. They're rather bitter.

Prosecutor: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Who do you find more attractive, Tom Cruise or Mel Gibson?

Judge: What is the point of all this?

Prosecutor: Your Honor, I'm so confident of Marge Simpson's guilt, that I can waste the court's time rating the superhunks.

Hutz: Ooohh. He's gonna' win.

Marge: Mr. Hutz!

1) It is true that the "my son turned down biglaw" is kind of a put off, but then again we'd almost all agree that more "real justice" can be done at public interest jobs than at biglaw jobs.
2) John Grisham is a top author. Not just because he sells a ton of books and is one of the, if not the, most well known contemporary author, but because his books are easy to read without being childish. That's actually a sign of brilliance.
3) Everyone seems to be using the "I didn't know Princeton didn't have a law school" to bash him. Really? It seems to me that John let that fact out because that's the stupid and neat kind of stuff that people like to hear about in an interview. We can relate to him because we've all done stupid stuff like that. I think his honesty is refreshing and that most of us can relate to it. Let's stop trying to bash him for simply admitting a simple mistake. After all, we're all human. Him, you and I.
4) Don't hate, appreciate. Elie got an exclusive interview, give him some props guys and gals.

-Not John Grisham, Not ATL, just a regular 3L.

This isn't the first time one of Grisham's characters went to Princeton Law School. One of the minor characters in The Street Lawyer went to Princeton. Hard to believe no one filled him in after the first mistake.

IS it really exclusive if he gives out 50 interviews to hype his new book?

It's a lot easier to go into public interest when your dad is John Grisham.

Hutz: Mr. Simpson, don't you worry. I saw an episode of Matlock in a bar last night. The sound was down, but I think I got the gist of it.
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Hutz: This all goes back to the Frank Wallbanger case of '78. How about that! I looked something up! These books behind me don't just make the office look good, they're filled with useful legal tidbits just like that!
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Devil: Mr. Simpson and I have a contract for his soul, in exchange for a donut, which I delivered! I simply ask for what is mine!
Hutz: That was a right-pretty speech, sir. But I ask you, what is a contract? Webster's defines it as "an agreement under the law which is unbreakable." Which is unbreakable! Excuse me, I must use the restroom.
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"Lionel Hutz, Attorney. Case Won in 30 Minutes or Your Pizza Is Free!"

Many non-lawyers assume that all the Ivies have law schools, but for someone with a JD who not only applied to law schools at some point but (presumably) knows some number of practising (note my snooty British spelling) lawyers to think that not only Princeton (my alma mater, go Tigers) but Brown (whatever) have law schools is a) appalling and b) stunning testimony to the social stratification of the American legal profession. It's pretty hard to imagine going to any decent law school or working in any decent law firm without picking up this little bit of knowledge *somehow*.

I also wonder about Grisham's research methods. Does he really think that promising anonymity to those who spill the beans about their putatively (note unnecessarily erudite Ivy adjective) lurid and horrible BigLaw jobs will actually elicit accurate,honest and truthful accounts? Reminds me of the Gary Larson cartoon of the mud hut full of TVs and computers whose occupants say "Hide the technology, here come the anthropologists."

But you know, I'm going to read this book anyway, because a) Amazon is selling it at 45% off and b) otherwise I would either have to do my reading for class or, as a 3L, spend my evenings crippled with fear that my job offer is going to be retracted.

BTW, this is the best story on ATL I've seen in a long time. While it's pretty obvious why Grisham would see ATL as a useful audience to discuss this novel, kudos (final pretentious word) on the scoop.

Good article.

Additionally, either the comments are being properly moderated or a lot of idiots are taking a day off, because there is some decent discussion with a tolerable single-to-noise ratio.

Thank you for both.

"You want to know something funny? You actually made me think about the law. I managed to go through three years of law school without doing that."

If you want to read excerpts from a book written by a real BigLaw associate, check out www.realdealcorporatelawyer.com. I can't wait for the whole book to be published. Fucking hilarious shit.

why is this site so gay?

why is this site so gay?

Don't know. But it's a hoot reading the bitches go after each other. and the editor named Elie.

121: You (and clearly you must be the author for thinking it funny) write like a fucking fourth grader. I got through 1.75 pages. Sorry, you fail.

I hate to defend Grisham, but parents have a natural tendency to be proud of their kids, so long as they're not in prison. Grisham's self-righteousness is distasteful, but let's not crucify him for being proud of his kid.

Is the story of an associate passing out from exhaustion really "easily recognizable"? I'm a fifth-year and have never seen anything like that.

97 – You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about. You think it was an exclusive interview just because ATL was the only blog Grisham was talking to at that particular time? By that definition, your girlfriend and I have an “exclusive” relationship just because when I bend her over there’s nobody else banging her at that particular time. But in reality, we don’t have an exclusive relationship because she’s also fucking the football team, half the baseball team, and blowing the glee club.

You are a fucking know-nothing cum stain. Go fuck yourself.

John Grisham was the keynote speaker at my undergrad graduation and I surmised that he was a self-righteous prick then. This interview has confirmed my suspicions.

Btw, he was a practicing attorney before becoming an author - but it's not like he gave up a bright shining future in law to become a writer. He attended TTT and I'm guessing his practice was TTT as well. I don't really think he is in a position to criticize those who decide to take a shot at making it in their legal careers, something he was too incompetent or fearful to do himself.

#10 is absolutely right. I am incredibly happy for my friends who took the public interest law route, and I'm glad that people can perform that service. I hope to be able to one day, too. But the fact remains that most of those individuals do not have hefty loans or parents who need their children's financial support. Those individuals can live paycheck to paycheck, and they can save 10% a month, knowing that will be enough in case of an emergency. Instead of criticizing people for sacrificing some quality of life in order to take financial responsibilities for themselves and their families, we should be applauding them for their work ethic and determination.

#10 is absolutely right. I am incredibly happy for my friends who took the public interest law route, and I'm glad that people can perform that service. I hope to be able to one day, too. But the fact remains that most of those individuals do not have hefty loans or parents who need their children's financial support. Those individuals can live paycheck to paycheck, and they can save 10% a month, knowing that will be enough in case of an emergency. Instead of criticizing people for sacrificing some quality of life in order to take financial responsibilities for themselves and their families, we should be applauding them for their work ethic and determination.

This was an exclusive interview how? Someone better tell that to the WSJ.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/01/27/a-law-blog-qa-with-john-grisham/

"John Grisham is a top author. Not just because he sells a ton of books and is one of the, if not the, most well known contemporary author, but because his books are easy to read without being childish. That's actually a sign of brilliance."

A sign of shrewdness, perhaps, but let's reserve the b-word for writers who actually deserve it.

WTF, no law school at Princeton? No wonder my application got dinged at Cravath. Guess I need to rewrite my resume.

Grisham and his editors screwed up in The Associate!

Take a look at page 177, line 5, which reads:

"Brother Manny issued the questions and absorbed the answers with such ease that after fifteen minutes together, Kyle felt as though he could chat for hours and tell him everything."

The dialog is actually between Brother Manny and Baxter Tate at the Hope Village ministry after his rehab.

Not with Kyle McAvoy! What's up Grisham?

Read it over the weekend. Wasn't impressed.

Read it as well. Quick read; the middle of the book is excellent...the ending is a serious letdown. Very disappointing. Waste of $20. Hopefully they change the ending for the movie.