Old Lady Lawyer: When Pedigree Referred To Pets, Not Lawyers

No, where you went to law school is not the only measure of your worth as an attorney.

old lady lawyer elderly woman grandmother grandma laptop computerIf I hear the word “pedigree” one more time in connection with lawyers, I am going to start barking like a dog. (No snide remarks here, please, that I already bark like a dog in my columns.)

For the last few years or so, I have heard the word “pedigree” used to define whether a lawyer is “good enough” for whatever position he/she is applying for, good enough for the elitist attitudes of so many law firms and corporate legal departments that, in reality, have very little, if anything, to be elitist about. In dinosaur times, use of the term “pedigree” was confined to whether a dog or cat had sufficient blood lines to be considered a pedigree, rather than a mixed breed.

Wikipedia, the fount of all knowledge today (just kidding… sort of) has various definitions of pedigree, but not one specifically includes the definition that law firms, recruiters, and in-house general counsel routinely use today to determine whether a candidate is worthy, not only of being hired, let alone interviewed.

In one of my all-time favorite movies, Animal House (if you have never seen it, go to IMDB to get basic info and then find some streaming service to rent, buy, or even see for free), there’s a scene in which Kevin Bacon (yes, that Kevin Bacon, the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, Google that if you’ve never heard of it) plays a nasty fraternity brother, who is flogged by a senior fraternity member for alleged rule infractions. Bacon’s character says repeatedly words to the effect that, “I am not worthy, I am not worthy” while squirming during his punishment.

That visual image reminds me so much of what is going on here today in certain legal hiring environments. If you don’t have the “pedigree,” however defined by the prospective employer and/or recruiter, you have no value, you are not worthy, and, you are told essentially, “what chutzpah [Google that] to even think that you might be worthy to work here.”

Imagine how that feels to the applicant; imagine how that feels to anyone encountering the “pedigree” poop, whether an applicant, a laid off associate, or a terminated partner, who got whacked due to insufficient collections and is now looking to take that insufficient amount of business elsewhere.

Gee, you didn’t go to Harvard or Yale or Stanford or Columbia or any one of the “top tier” law schools. Maybe that was because you couldn’t afford to go to one of those schools, or weren’t willing to risk the rest of your financial life paying off (or at least trying to) evergreen student loans, or maybe you were balancing family and/other commitments, or maybe you went to law school at an older age, having worked for a while and then decided that you were willing to make the sacrifices to become a lawyer instead of going straight to law school out of college because you didn’t know what else to do.

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The disdain that lawyers show in this “pedigree parade” is insulting. It says that a person’s worth is completely connected to law school, rank therein, prestigious (or not) clerkships, and big firm experience (if you can get it). Really? I thought that a lawyer’s value was based on criteria, including, but not limited to, legal knowledge, ability to communicate both orally and in writing, work ethic, maturity, and last, but not least, some emotional intelligence.

Think about how humiliated an applicant is when told that the pedigree is insufficient. If the pedigree is indeed lacking in the eyes and minds of THOSE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED (cue Harry Potter), then at least let that person down with some dignity and grace. How much effort does that take?

If someone asks you, as a courtesy, to take time to meet with someone looking for work, and you really don’t want to do it, then don’t, and decline by using “workload, calendar conflicts, etc.” as the reasons. If you’re doing this as a favor to someone and you can’t be gracious about it, then don’t do it.

If you do agree to a meeting, then be gracious about it as well, and don’t tell the person that you’re not sure why you’re meeting. Really? Don’t tell the person he/she doesn’t have the right “pedigree.” You’ve read the résumé, hopefully. How small do you want to make a person feel, that he/she is taking up your valuable billing time for a pro bono moment or two, and in many cases, it is only a moment or two? Make the effort. Are you that much better than the person sitting across from you in your office or conference room? Do you never remember a similar or even identical situation when you were blown off? If not, lucky you.

If you’re looking at nothing beyond pedigree, then do everyone a favor and don’t interview anyone who doesn’t meet that standard. Remember, however, that pedigreed animals can come with their own sets of problems; inbreeding creates a limited gene pool. Lawyer interviewing hasn’t declined to asking a non-pedigreed lawyer to roll over, shake hands, or whether the attorney is house-broken… yet.

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All non-pedigreed lawyers want is the chance to prove they can do the job. Perhaps the “elite” in our profession could take a hint from the Westminster Dog Show that decided, in 2014, to admit mixed breed dogs to its show. If Westminster can do that, why can’t we?


Jill Switzer is closing in on 40 (not a typo) years as a active member of the State Bar of California. Yes, folks, California, that state west of the Sierra Nevada, which everyone likes to diss. She’s had a diverse legal career, including stints as a deputy district attorney, a solo practice, and several senior in-house gigs. She now mediates full-time, which gives her the opportunity to see old lawyers, young lawyers, and those in-between interact — it’s not always pretty. You can reach her by email at oldladylawyer@gmail.com.