- law dawg
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The July 2024 bar exam results are being released today. (Ed. Why on a Monday?) We thought it might be nice to dedicate a Job Tips post to offering your best practice tips, life tips, and other good advice to the newest crop of Nevada lawyers. What do you wish that every new lawyer (or current lawyers who are reading this and may need some pointers as well) knew about practicing law here? What are the unspoken rules of practice that they won’t find in the NRCP? What or who is your best resource when you have a question? What bar activities should they absolutely attend–and which should they avoid at all costs? Where should they park when they go to court? What do you wish someone had told you?
Arrive at the office before your managing partner. They may not conscientiously notice. However, they will likely be vocal when you arrive at the office after them. Once you prove yourself trustworthy, then you can have more latitude.
Also, wait until they leave for you to leave. Face time is a real thing and most partners are dicks about it
Microsoft Outlook allows you to delay sending emails. When you have an email that isn’t time sensitive, and for which the managing partner does legitimately need to be copied, set it to go out anywhere between 5:30-6:30 AM the next morning. You’re snoozing and building a profile as a busy beaver, all at the same time.
I do that ALL the time. Like nearly every day.
The attorney entrance at the Regional Justice Center (RJC) is on the southside of the building (the Clark St. side near the marriage license office). Park wherever you can and wherever your firm will reimburse you.
But the most important tip regarding the RJC involves the elevators. The main elevator bank for the public, lawyers, prosecutors, etc can be a nightmare. You usually have to wait in line. They are trick because the floor you enter on is the (G) ground floor, but there is another floor below denoted by (LL). If you have to go to something on floors 1-3, DO NOT USE THE ELEVATOR, use the escalator instead. This will save you time and avoid frustrating people who need the elevator to get to the top floors of the building. If you’re in the elevator lobby, push the button for up. Pay attention to whether the elevator is going up or down because a lot of people push (LL) not knowing they need (G). As a result, the elevator will stop at (G), empty out, and then insist on going down a floor before coming back to (G) to go up. You can get on and ride down and then back up, but it will take more time.
Now here is the most critical tip: once you’re in the elevator, if you stand next to the buttons, you have the ever important task of pushing the door close button. The RJC elevators are one of the rare elevators where pushing the door close button actually works. Obviously wait until everyone is on (G), but at each stop on your way to the top, immediately after someone gets off, push the door close button. This will get you where you are going quicker and the other people in the elevator will appreciate your social awareness and think about you being the type of lawyer they would want to hire if they ever needed to hire an insurance defense associate.
I don’t go to RJC now that I have moved away from Las Vegas, but I used to find it amusing when I’d get in an elevator and it was often full of unusually attractive blonde women in revealing clothing, who I assumed were in court for prostitution charges.
The Judge’s elevator must’ve been broken that day.
It’s a small legal community. You’ll run into the same people over and over again.
Be nice and considerate, people will remember.
Years later they will recall is you ever did them a favor. And years later they will also remember if you tried to screw them over.
So true. Reputation is everything and that is not a bad thing.
When you have someone as O.C. for the first time, take them to lunch. You’ll both humanize yourselves. The case will flow better, which will benefit everyone, especially the clients. Bonus: You’ll make some great friends and create referral sources!
As noted earlier, this is a town with *flexible* ethics/morals, or at least it appears that way. You’re gonna see some shady shit. Don’t let it distort your view of right and wrong. Hold yourself to a higher standard. You’ll make more money and sleep better at night, trust me. I know more than one Vegas attorney who has been to prison.
Also, don’t forget that we frown upon stabbing reporters to death.
From a criminal law practitioner, prosecutors are people who are very overly zealous. They make mistakes. They go too far. They are human. You will run into people in this town who made mistakes. Do the right thing but don’t be a pompous douche and think that you cannot forgive people for their mistakes. Along the time with mantra above of being nice and considerate, learn to forgive (albeit not forget) those who have trespassed against you.
Now do PDs.
This is 11:35 and that is fair comment. PDs and private counsel also can be very overzealous. My comment was in response to the poster who wanted to talk down upon those who have been to jail or to prison or gotten a DUI or failed to balance their IOLTA Account. The implication was that we know what happened in all of those cases or in those attorneys’ lives. We often don’t.
I have stood at both tables in those criminal cases. Those are falliable humans standing representing falliable humans before a bench or venire of falliable humans. Forgive those you encounter as clients and counsel who show you that they are worthy of forgiveness. Hold them to the standards at which you actually live and practice.
I’m serious. This is not a veiled way to criticize OBC. Volunteer often with the Bar. Join the panels. Do anything to be on their side when you need them. Of course, unless you work for the government or a large firm, then you have automatic immunity.
OBC does appreciate a good boot licking
Never ever sleep with a female coworker no matter how often she says no one will know. Posting for a friend.
Look at who has made partner at your firm. If few are women, and you’re a woman, get some experience and don’t stay long. Sausage factories are rarely places where women do well (save a single token usually). Also, make sure you’re earning what your male colleagues are, and if you aren’t, leave for more money.
Especially when the firm touts 50+ years in business with only one or two women in leadership. There’s a reason.
Also true for men of color.
Develop the skill of speaking like an adult. Save the slang and hipster language for your friends. With colleagues, staff, and especially clients, be a grown up. Also, the people in your office and at court don’t want to see your tats; cover them. And dress in a way that brings respect to you and your firm.
And before I get 30 replies saying “okay boomer”, I’m a 29 year old black male associate starting my 4th year at a medium-large regional firm.
I chill, just not at work.
This boomer thanks you for the excellent reminders.
Text messaging and social media have debased the English language. Be better. Use proper grammar. Behave in a manner consistent with your educational level and professional status. Your career will skyrocket.
Don’t expect staff to be your friend. Be polite, be professional, but they aren’t your friends. Same goes for your boss. Your boss will steal money out of your pocket. Your job is not your identity. It’s to put food in your face and a roof over your head, nothing more. Don’t go solo right out of law school. Get experience. If and when you put up a shingle, have a good accountant.
One exception. If you have friends or colleagues a couple of years ahead of you that have gone out on their own, USE THEM. Go meet with them, take them to lunch and pick their brains. Learn from their mistakes and what to do and not to do.
Learn where to save money. Plan to go 6 months without a paycheck (minimum), then, with your hard work and dedication, the flood gates open wide for you for the rest of your career.
And if you’re going solo, put away 10% for when PP comes calling.
Planned Parenthood? Paul Powell? Peter Priesthood?
None of those work for OBC
Phil Pattee (sp)
Thank god it’s not molly mormon.
IMHO. Do not work for a firm that has a husband / wife (spouses the gender is neutral) in the same firm. Regardless if one is support staff one is an attorney or both are attorneys. It’s a lot of extra politics. Worst case scenario you will be called as a witness in their divorce case.
I know several H/W firms that are solid to work for without issues. Sorry you got burned.
Could not disagree more. Stable firms that have an H/W often treat their staff like family. Just find a firm where they treat their family members well.
A few tips for newly admitted attorneys aspiring to practice transactional or regulatory law.
First, consider leaving Nevada to get the job you want versus staying in Nevada hoping for the job you want. Nevada is a small legal market and the job you are hoping for may never materialize or be available on your timeline. For opportunities outside Nevada, unless you are sitting in your new gig already, consider looking at USAjobs.gov for federal jobs in your desired area and, if necessary, move for the job you want. Federal jobs can be hard to get, and economically repressive to start once you factor in a non-reimbursed move, but bite the bullet if you get the opportunity. Whether you return to Nevada or not, federal work will translate across states/markets and allow you to develop legal skills that few in the fly over states are given exposure to. Further, quality experience at the federal level in a transactional and/or regulatory capacity can lead to a multitude of law firm opportunities, not to mention public student loan forgiveness if you can stick it out 10 years.
Second, always put in extra, even after you have attained whatever position or goal you were striving for. I won’t get into percentages of extra, but you will be amazed at how consistently doing extra will set you apart. Trigger warning, expect the extra to be unpaid and to generate animosity from your peers, but it will pay off at some point. For resources on extra, consider watching PLI or other CLE videos in your areas of interest and trying to sharpen your knowledge in your down time.
Third, ignore everyone that tells you being an attorney is just a job. You just voluntarily spent 7+ years in school, incurred $200K+ in student loans, and passed a test with a 50(ish)% pass rate just to get to the starting line. Being an attorney is not just a job. You are a licensed professional and I would recommend viewing every “job” you will have as platform to develop your skills and build your reputation as a licensed attorney.
Finally, always remember to give back.
Summary:
Get a federal job and do pro bono!
WTF?
Any Fed attorneys you know doing any pro bono?
Not a lot of federal positions in Vegas or Reno. Some but not many. Federal attorneys have no time to do pro bono. Working for the feds is pro bono. Salaries are mid range. Bennies are ok but not as good as a PERS pension. The feds control everything you do and even monitor your key strokes on your key pad along with your time and what you are working on. Just something to consider.
I have a transactional practice here in Nevada so don’t agree that you should consider leaving Nevada for that type of practice. I do think you should consider having a balanced practice (“transactional” should expand to “corporate” plus “real property”, at least at the beginning). Also, get mentors in the area of practice (even if they’re at a different firm). Most don’t ask, and most asked may not devote much time. But some are helpful and it may restore your faith in the people in this profession
Agree with you and ashamed that I forgot to mention mentors. Find someone who practices law the way the way that you want to be practicing it in 7 years.
no shame necessary
Avoid burning out as much as possible. If you have a hobby, do not give it up. Also, find a healthy outlet to relieve stress and frustration if you don’t have one already. Take advantage of office closures and holidays and try to get out of town.
Do not drink alcohol to excess. If you have have a problem with alcohol or any other substance, gambling, food, shopping, etc. get help sooner rather than later. You don’t want to wait until you get arrested or commit malpractice. Self-help now, is the easiest way.
Practice something you like doing. Don’t get sucked into high salaries. You can make great money in any practice area. If you practice an area you don’t like, it will suck your soul from your body. I am looking at your insurance defense lawyer.
Shit on ID all you want, but it ain’t family law
Need a Referral – any good residential appraisors out there who are still in business? Can’t seem to get a call back from anybody on my list and the lists of several other people that I know. Need them for probate drive-by appraisals
Just ask around the probate bar. Hell, you might even end up calling me, which would be funny. I have a great appraiser who is good about doing things fairly quickly, ethically and accurately. However, I’m not going to name him here and risk having him maligned. Good luck.
Realty One, they were an expert witness for me on a case re: an appraisal.
There are brokers at Realty One that will do BPOs.
Plenty. I’ve got a guy that I use pretty routinely, because they are dependable and have a quick turnaround. But like 7:16, I don’t really want to name names in public. If you are in the Probate section, just shoot out an email. If not, google “probate lawyer near me” and make some phone calls.
Dear LawDawg, I’m currently on the east coast and look forward to the blog everyday. Would you mind getting up 3 hours earlier every day to get it going this week? Thanks in advance!