Proceed With Caution: A Diary of the First Year At One Of America's Largest, Most Prestigious Law Firms
by WIlliam R. Keates
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Book Summary Information
Author: WIlliam R. KeatesEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-04-25
ISBN: 0159001811
Number of pages: 164
Publisher: Harcourt Legal & Professional Publications, Inc.
Book Reviews of Proceed With Caution: A Diary of the First Year At One Of America's Largest, Most Prestigious Law Firms
Book Review: An interesting look at the big law firm experience
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm investigating careers in the legal field, and I got this from a friend of mine. The book is honestly written and straightforward. However, it must be approached for what it is: a first-job perspective from a 26-27 year old student, fresh out of a grueling 7 or 8 years of law school and academia in general, with no real-world job experience and some highly idealistic preconceptions of how things should work. He gets a job in a top-flight high paying law firm in NYC (apparently, a Hollywoodesque big-time scenario for a lot of young lawyers) and documents his work experiences, interaction with fellow workers, and life in general in an engaging journal-entry style. This is definitely a one-sitting read.
I think it's a valuable read for anyone interested in a law career, especially if interested in working for a firm. It documents one scenario from a junior associate's perspective who worked for one large firm in NYC. From Keates' standpoint, I have come to understand that while the salary and perks might be initially very appealing, the job experience can be horrifying.
I completely disagree with the reviewer who thinks this is a "be-all, end-all" decision-making reference for law school (if reading this book scares you away from practicing law in entirety, maybe you shouldn't be approaching law school in the first place). Keates helped me to think about one possible work scenario out of hundreds that a law degree might make possible, and I'm grateful for the knowledge. If you're a 3rd year law student and your goal is to become a JA and make $90,000 your first year at a big law firm, maybe you should read this.
Also recommended is Susan Estrich's How To Get Into Law School (ISBN 1594480354), which discusses not only the approaches to get into law school but career paths and law practice in general.
Summary of Proceed With Caution: A Diary of the First Year At One Of America's Largest, Most Prestigious Law Firms
The author takes you behind the scenes to show you what it's really like to be a junior associate at a huge law firm.Lawyers & Judges Books
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