The American Bar Association (ABA) recently released employment statistics for the 2013 law school graduation year. While the amount of graduating attorneys employed at law firms or who chose to act as solo practitioners stayed relatively stable, public sector employment gained ground, while public interest employment took a 1.1 percent cut. The most shocking statistic from the report may be that the “unemployed/seeking” category increased more than a half percent from the prior year, peaking at 11.2 percent.
This continued a trend of the last several years of increasing unemployment for recent law graduates, inversely correlating to falling unemployment numbers overall. This number is also striking because the percentage of attorneys who chose to become solo practitioners is far lower at 2.3 percent, although all graduates can ostensibly enter solo practice when graduating, even if law firms and public-sector employment are off the table. Negotiating an ever-worsening job market is a difficult-enough task, but choosing whether to practice solo or work for a firm or the government is only made tougher by the varying pros and cons of each.
Rawl Kazee is no stranger to the weight of these decisions. Initially working for a local firm upon graduation, Kazee was grateful for the opportunity but soon struck out on his own as a solo practitioner. He found it harder than working for the firm, however.
“[It was] because of the business aspect, not the legal work,” Kazee said. “I have all the freedom and all the responsibility — not sure it’s a fair trade. I have to do all the business part. I am receptionist, runner, paralegal, secretary, marketing rep and lawyer.”
Kazee emphasized the freedom that comes with being a solo practitioner but noted that it came with a price.
“The ‘pros’ are control over cases and strategy, control over how my clients are treated, faster learning curve by necessity, and strength from doing it,” Kazee said. “The ‘cons’ are responsibility, lack of capital to front civil cases, business aspects, paperwork, sole responsibility.”
Melissa Thompson Richardson graduated in 2007 and knew what path she wanted to take immediately.
“I wanted to work at Golden & Waters, PLLC because they were known for trying cases and that is what I wanted to do,” said Thompson. “I knew that would be financially difficult to do as a solo practitioner and had worked in the public sector enough to know that wasn’t feasible for any work I would be interested in doing.”
She liked the hands-on approach to training at the firm, as well as having a steady paycheck and a group of people to learn from and to celebrate or lament with when a great success or failure occurs. She didn’t see many drawbacks, although any choice comes with some introspection.
“I think both solo work and firm work have their own complex set of challenges, so I wouldn’t really hazard a guess as to which is harder. I’m sure most everyone has probably felt like the grass was greener on the other side at one point or another,” said Thompson.
Somewhere between the sole responsibility of a solo practice and the billable hours of a firm lies public-sector employment. That suits Anna Girard, a staff attorney in the Office of General Counsel for the Energy and Environment Cabinet, just fine. She became a law clerk for a circuit judge upon graduation, then went to work for the cabinet after a year, where she represents 10 to 12 different agencies that implement the state’s environmental regulations.
“I have a lot fewer clients to please, I don’t have to hustle to get work and no billable hours,” said Girard of the positives that come with state employment. “For my job I have a lot better hours probably, but that’s definitely not the case across the board. The wins feel good and like you’re really making a difference.”
As with state employment, although the pay is steady, it’s nothing to write home about. There’s also a negative perception that public-sector attorneys can face, according to Girard.
The key to success for all three attorneys lies in meeting and overcoming obstacles as they come.
“Each firm/office, whether legal or otherwise, always is a quasi-living, breathing thing. As it morphs, new challenges arise. That’s more a byproduct of life being life though, as it is not inherently unique to a firm,” said Thompson.
When asked about his successes and failures as a solo practitioner, Kazee credited some outside help.
“I attribute making it to my faith in God, not my ability,” Kazee said. “Only the mistakes are mine.”