Job Searches, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners

Back In The Race: Pit Stop

Columnist Shannon Achimalbe fields reader questions about job hunting and offers career advice for lawyers.

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Over the last few months, people have emailed me questions about my job search and for general advice. Unfortunately, I have not been able to answer all of them for various reasons. But now that my job search is on hold, I wanted to get back to everyone and possibly take this column into a new direction.

After the jump, I will answer some frequently asked questions about my future plans, and my difficulties in finding former solo practitioners willing to share their stories and impart their wisdom. I will also describe my plan to profile law firms that have hired underdog candidates with good results.

Are you trying to get a job at Biglaw?

Yes and no. I do not want to work for a major law firm if I will end up being generic attorney#6B3293 in the litigation cell block.

I am only interested in a few niche firms that practice in the areas where I have expertise. A few are the large, prestigious firms. But most are small to mid-size firms.

How do I get into X law school or Y law firm?

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I have decided to stop answering these questions. As a few novice comedians have pointed out, I am not qualified to give anyone personalized career advice. This is especially problematic because almost everyone who asked me this question ultimately wants to get into Biglaw.

I highly recommend reaching out to someone who is connected to the Biglaw world. Try to focus on people can help nontraditional job candidates. From my experience, the recruiters looking for the typical lateral candidates will either ignore nontraditional candidates or give advice that you have heard elsewhere.

I’m not sure if I can seriously respect career advice from someone who is in the process of closing her solo practice. 

Fair enough. But I never claimed to be a success story. Most of the advice I give is based on the mistakes I made in the past with the hopes that others will not repeat them.

Your very first post stated that you hoped to hear from solo practitioners who have left the practice. Have you heard from anyone yet? Do you plan to profile former solos and share their stories?

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Unfortunately, no one has volunteered to share their story, even anonymously. Every once in a while, on a message board, listserv, blog or other social media, someone would announce that he or she is closing their practice to work at a firm or do something else. I tried reaching out to these people but I have received no responses. I don’t blame them really.

I think that they are closing their practice for the same reasons I am. The irregular cash flow, not having a sales personality, not liking risk, being unable to trust others, to name a few. Based on my experience, most people who went to law school did so because they did not want to start a business.

I really hope that some will come forward and share their stories. I’ll keep the story anonymous and even turn off comments if that’s what it takes. I think these stories are important because they will serve as teaching moments. I may have some critical comments but I don’t plan to add insult to injury.

What did you dislike most being a solo practitioner?

The fakery and the posturing. I understand that in this business, you have to project an image of success and confidence. But I can’t stand it when some people claim to be a “top tier” attorney just because they worked in Biglaw for a year or they won the regional mock trial competition in law school. More on this in a future post.

Why don’t you reveal your true identity? Won’t the publicity of being an ATL columnist help you in your job search?

I am certain that revealing my identity now will not help me land the job that I want. In fact, there is a chance that outing myself will make my search even more difficult. Also, I want to readers who are in a similar situation to be able to relate.

So how has being an ATL columnist helped you?

Aside from working professionally with and getting constructive comments from the ATL editorial staff, I think the main benefit of writing for ATL has been that it has motivated me to take the necessary actions to achieve my ultimate goals. I also needed to do something to come up with writing material.

Speaking of writing, it got me in the habit of writing regularly, something I didn’t do in the past. I hope to one day write elsewhere, using this name or my real name.

Do you have any other plans for your column?

Since my column has an underdog job search theme, I would like to profile success stories from reputable firms, courts and government agencies that have hired underdog and nontraditional candidates. So if your firm had a successful underdog hire, please let me know how the candidate was hired, how he or she brought value to the firm, and whether it has changed your firm’s recruiting and hiring policies.

So when do you plan to quit your column or “finish the race”?

Soon after I accepted the job offer from my current firm, I seriously considered quitting. But as I alluded to earlier, I don’t feel secure being employed as a contract attorney.

I think part of the journey from this point forward is to master my lawyering skills and position myself to be indispensable to my clients, my employers, my colleagues, and the profession. Perhaps at that point my journey will end.

Unfortunately, that will take a lot of time. So I may be here indefinitely.

Too bad. Deal with it.

Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached at sachimalbe@excite.com.

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