Big Law and More: It's About Power, Not Your Work

 Do JDs from the law schools at William & Mary, Columbia, Cleveland State and Harvard navigate Big Law more effectively than other JDs? 

That could be. See, each of those has a special course on power. William & Mary's is probably the closest to the "Paths to Power" iconic elective at Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

Thanks to the media, professional anonymous networks, books and social law students should be getting it: How they acquire, leverage and grow power, as well as align with the power bases, will determine their performance in large law firms. 

Grow up. Performance is subjective. It is well-known that several outstanding reviews will become irrelevant after offending the powerful. Performance could then be rated subpar. 

Work usually is, at best, a defensive strategy. It can count though, probably for a lot, if it's for a powerful senior partner. The high grades from your brilliant work in law school will get you into Big Law. But then you better get the power dynamics down cold. The euphemism for that reality is "culture."

Most recently featured is the power Michael Aiello "owned" at Weil. Roy Strom at Bloomberg Law reports:

"But as a leader whose influence at the firm exceeded his role commanding the corporate department, he was a divisive presence who stalled progress in the new directions Weil needed to go, some people at the firm said."

For that reason those less powerful were pleased that he lateraled to Cravath.

Last August, The New York Times detailed the shifting power at Paul, Weiss. Corporate was gaining it. Litigation losing it. 

Those not on the right side of this evolution decided to leave. Fortunately for them, they were stars. They had somewhere to go. Meanwhile some who were probably powerless associates in litigation didn't have that choice. They were terminated. 

Current bestsellers "Money To Burn" and "Regime Change" don't miss a trick about which Big Law lawyers have the most power and how they have to use it. 

It might be a comfort to lawyers who don't make it in Big Law that "Money To Burn" sort of sizes up those brandname partners as essentially hired hands.  In coaching, I'm guiding an entrepreneurial lawyer how to break loose and build their own wealth. No longer will they be the hired help. 

Pages 130 through 136 in "Regime Change" feature the power showdown between All The President's Men (and Woman, since Susie Wiles was in the Oval Office) and Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp. He was there with the objective to cancel the Executive Order which could have put the law firm out of business. 

Both books are must reads for law students. Access, networks, authentic friendships, transactions in the Favor Bank and ability to claw back after a scandal all shape professional trajectories. 

In coaching I alert all newcomers to the knowledge professions about power realities. Those were not invented as something new for these more competitive chaotic times. 

Way back in staid 1959, when organizational life was predictable, sociologist Erving Goffman explained the critical role of power in even daily interactions. "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life" demonstrated how those with the most power define every situation. They make the rules of how to behave. Even the butcher in a rural village knows that. He interacts differently with the mayor than the customers. 

Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what.

Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)


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