If you hire lawyers at your firm, don't overlook the candidates who didn't go to the best schools or got the best grades. Sometimes, the candidates from the state schools with the good but not exemplar grades balanced school and work and the arrows of life. Some came from tough circumstances, and fought, and scraped and chased down and hunted everything they had, because that's the hand life dealt them, and instead of folding, they made the most of that hand. This is grit. You don't teach grit. You live it. And your firm, and your cases and your clients need attorneys who have grit. So look beyond the four corners of the resume and ask about the path candidates took to sit across from you for the interview. I'll take a state law grad with grit over an Ivy law grad without grit every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Generate viral LinkedIn posts in your style for free.
Generate viral LinkedIn posts in your style for free.
Frank Ramos
These are the best posts from Frank Ramos.
10 viral posts with 28,456 likes, 1,068 comments, and 1,482 shares.
0 image posts, 0 carousel posts, 0 video posts, 10 text posts.
👉 Go deeper on Frank Ramos's LinkedIn with the ContentIn Chrome extension 👈
Best Posts by Frank Ramos on LinkedIn
Advice for firms looking for associates.
If you haven't figured it out, a lot of firms are having a hard time filling associate spots.
Let me suggest some non-traditional candidates you may have overlooked.
* Look for candidates who put themselves through college and law school. They juggled a job and school. I don't care what job they did. In fact, you're looking for candidates that worked tough jobs - construction, janitorial, wait staff - they did back-breaking work and they still went to college and law school and finished. Maybe they don't have the best grades or went to the best schools, but they sure know how to work hard.
* Look for candidates who led something, anything - a high school sports team, a PTA, a nonprofit - they stepped up, led, and made things happen.
* Those who have overcome adversity. They went to the school of hard knocks and they're still swinging.
Consider candidates who may not have gone to the best schools or received the best grades, but man, life has tried to pound them into the ground and they're just smiling and asking “that's all you got?“
If you haven't figured it out, a lot of firms are having a hard time filling associate spots.
Let me suggest some non-traditional candidates you may have overlooked.
* Look for candidates who put themselves through college and law school. They juggled a job and school. I don't care what job they did. In fact, you're looking for candidates that worked tough jobs - construction, janitorial, wait staff - they did back-breaking work and they still went to college and law school and finished. Maybe they don't have the best grades or went to the best schools, but they sure know how to work hard.
* Look for candidates who led something, anything - a high school sports team, a PTA, a nonprofit - they stepped up, led, and made things happen.
* Those who have overcome adversity. They went to the school of hard knocks and they're still swinging.
Consider candidates who may not have gone to the best schools or received the best grades, but man, life has tried to pound them into the ground and they're just smiling and asking “that's all you got?“
If you’re considering law school because being a lawyer will make you rich, don’t. Most lawyers never become rich. Comfortable, yes. Rich, not usually. Don’t chase the money. Chase your passion.
For all you spouses married to lawyers, and all you fiancés engaged to lawyers, and all you boyfriends and girlfriends dating lawyers, you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you, but you need to hear it. Your significant other didn't realize how much work and sacrifice went into being a lawyer, didn't realize how many hours they would have to spend in the office, didn't realize their boss would be a jerk, didn't realize how much stress and anxiety they would undergo, and so when they get home, they don't want to fight with you, or argue with or explain why they spend so much time at work and so little time with you. That's not constructive for them, you or the relationship. They didn't want this life anymore than you. They thought their life, and your life, and your collective lives would be different. But it isn't. It's filled with late nights and demanding bosses and clients and snippy e-mails and office politics and obnoxious opposing counsels. And they need you as much as you need them. Work with each other to develop a constructive plan to deal with this new reality that neither of you expected or bargained for. Because if you don't, if you choose just to blame your lawyer spouse, fiance or boyfriend or girlfriend, he or she will soon be your ex.
In law school, I received my share of rejections from law firms I applied to for my first job. At the time, it felt soul crushing. Now, I realize I needed those rejections to find the right firm for me. If you don't get an interview, or if you do, but don't get an offer, keep applying and keep trying. Your job is out there.
Many of you young lawyers want to make a jump. You’re unhappy. Dissatisfied. Frustrated. Worn down. Before you quit, consider doing the following. Promise yourself you’re going to wait quitting for three months, and every night you are going to spend an hour working toward your dream job. You’re going to study the area of the law. You’re going to write in that area. You’re going to grab coffee with attorneys in that area. You’re going to spend 90 hours working toward your leap. At the end of the 90 days you may decide to reset and take another 90 days or you may decide it’s time to leave. But those 90 hours can help you make the next step the right step for you.
As a young lawyer, there was an attorney I knew whose offices were near the courthouse. For an 8:45 am motion calendar, he left his office at 7:45 am for what would be a five minute walk, because every lawyer and judge knew him and wanted to talk to him on his way to the hearing, causing those five minutes to turn into an hour.
He took me for coffee once, and there was always someone coming by to say hello. I asked him, how does one become him - a lawyer most every other lawyer knows and respects. He chuckled and paused and said that he didn't consider himself to be a great lawyer. Good yes. Not great. He didn't consider himself to be a great communicator. Good, yes. Not great. Not especially smart. Not especially clever. He said the reason everyone knew him and wanted to talk to him was that when he was younger, he took time to get know everyone and listen to everyone. Folks weren't talking to him because he was a superb lawyer. They were talking to him because he cared and listened to them first.
If you want to build your influence, your network, your reputation, your reach - take time to listen to others, serve others, help others and eventually it will come back to you. Don't do it because it will come back to you, but it will.
He took me for coffee once, and there was always someone coming by to say hello. I asked him, how does one become him - a lawyer most every other lawyer knows and respects. He chuckled and paused and said that he didn't consider himself to be a great lawyer. Good yes. Not great. He didn't consider himself to be a great communicator. Good, yes. Not great. Not especially smart. Not especially clever. He said the reason everyone knew him and wanted to talk to him was that when he was younger, he took time to get know everyone and listen to everyone. Folks weren't talking to him because he was a superb lawyer. They were talking to him because he cared and listened to them first.
If you want to build your influence, your network, your reputation, your reach - take time to listen to others, serve others, help others and eventually it will come back to you. Don't do it because it will come back to you, but it will.
Young lawyers - don’t automatically take the highest paying job offer. Sometimes the best paying job isn’t the best job for you.
A few years back, I was checking in with a lawyer suffering from chronic depression. I suspected he was suicidal. Every day on the way home from work he went through a McDonald's drive thru, bought a soda and fries, and sat in his car in the parking lot, delaying going home. Just frozen. Stuck. Just sat staring out the windshield at nothing in particular. That routine - the drive thru, parking, avoiding going home - that's common behavior among those chronically depressed who have suicidal ideations.
When he called, he'd call from that parking lot. I had pieced together which McDonald's from the various calls. During one of the calls, he sounded at peace, but not in a good way. In a resigned, ready to check out way.
I kept him on the phone as I drove over to the McDonald's. I was right about which one he was at. And when I came onto his vehicle and peered through the driver seat's window, and saw what was on his lap, my first random thought was - I didn't think you could still buy a revolver. I assumed everything was semi-automatics. That was the random thought that came to mind.
We talked. His brother got him. Took the gun. He got help. These years later, he's doing ok. Not perfect. Not great. But he's doing ok. Still getting help. Sometimes depression is just something you live with indefinitely.
The thing with depression, if someone who is behaving in a depressed manner suddenly seems fine, actually seems really good, often they're not, and their smile and laugh and friendliness may be a sign of resignation. Like, hell, I'm going out on my own terms. Trust your instincts. If you think someone needs help, help them get help. You may be the only who notices in time to make a difference.
When he called, he'd call from that parking lot. I had pieced together which McDonald's from the various calls. During one of the calls, he sounded at peace, but not in a good way. In a resigned, ready to check out way.
I kept him on the phone as I drove over to the McDonald's. I was right about which one he was at. And when I came onto his vehicle and peered through the driver seat's window, and saw what was on his lap, my first random thought was - I didn't think you could still buy a revolver. I assumed everything was semi-automatics. That was the random thought that came to mind.
We talked. His brother got him. Took the gun. He got help. These years later, he's doing ok. Not perfect. Not great. But he's doing ok. Still getting help. Sometimes depression is just something you live with indefinitely.
The thing with depression, if someone who is behaving in a depressed manner suddenly seems fine, actually seems really good, often they're not, and their smile and laugh and friendliness may be a sign of resignation. Like, hell, I'm going out on my own terms. Trust your instincts. If you think someone needs help, help them get help. You may be the only who notices in time to make a difference.
Everybody roots for the underdog. Everyone loves a Cinderella story. If you’re a first generation lawyer, perhaps even the first from your family to graduate from college, and you balanced school and work and family and everything else life has thrown at you and you came out the other side with a law degree and having passed the bar with an esq. at the end of your name, but you’re wondering what’s next, and the job offers aren’t coming or the job you’re at doesn’t pay you enough or value you, know there is no better story than that of an underdog winning. Keep at it. Keep struggling. Keep hustling. Keep working. Keep sacrificing. Your day is coming.
