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Article Excerpt
Law schools are notorious for churning out graduates who can tell you the difference between replevin and res judicata but know precious little about applying those legal principles to real-world cases. But ready or not, every recent grad has to make a decision about what to do next.
Some intrepid new lawyers decide to hang out the proverbial shingle, taking their lumps along the way but reaping the rewards of a successful solo practice when things go well. Other grads seek the relative security of large firms, hoping to follow the path to partnership paved by thousands of associates who have gone before. Another less-well-known career choice--joining a small, established practice--can offer the best of both worlds, say three trial lawyers who work in different areas of the country but have found success and satisfaction in small-office plaintiff firms.
"By joining an existing firm, you can build a law practice on the foundation laid by others, "said Jeff Padwa, who practices in Providence, Rhode Island, and chairs ATLA's New Lawyers Division. He and fellow division members Melissa Smith, who practices in Marshall, Texas, and Ken Spiegelman, who is with a Miami firm, recently spoke with TRIAL Senior Editor Jean Hellwege about how they made the leap from law school to law practice.
For the record, where did each of you go to law school, and when did you graduate?
Jeff Padwa: I went to Suffolk University Law School in Boston, and I graduated in 1992.
Ken Spiegelman: I'm a 1991 graduate of the University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville.
Melissa Smith: I went to Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, and I graduated in 1997.
When did you first deride you wanted to be a trial lawyer, and what influenced you in making that decision?
Ken: When I was in law school, being a plaintiff trial lawyer was probably the furthest thing from my mind. My original intent was to practice criminal defense, but I had an opportunity during my second summer of law school to clerk for a firm that did a considerable amount of insurance defense work and also some plaintiff work. While there, I was lucky enough to work with somebody who was a great trial lawyer, and he exposed me to the plaintiff side of things. I went to work for that firm for a couple of years after law...
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