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Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams, 2d (Employment Law) | 
 enlarge | Author: Kimm Alayne Walton
Publisher: Gilbert Law Publishing - Thomson West
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $25.00
You Save: $4.95 (17%)
New (5) from $25.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 22741
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1380
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.3
Dimensions (in): 10 x 7.6 x 2.1
ISBN: 0314176772
Dewey Decimal Number: 340
EAN: 9780314176776
ASIN: 0314176772
Publication Date: March 17, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Whether you're looking for a summer clerkship or your first permanent job after law school, this work is the key to getting the legal job of your dreams. This book leads you step-by-step through everything you need to do to nail down that perfect job. You'll learn hundreds of simple-to-use strategies that will get you exactly where you want to go.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 Got 30 dollars to buy it? no? then borrow and buy this book if you need to buy food when you get out of law school October 7, 2008
This is a must have for any law student. I don't care if you are the first in your class at Harvard, or the bottom of your class in Thomas Jefferson. You need this one.
The Best Book I Read in Law School August 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I wish I read this book in my 1L year or even before law school. It is the most serious book out there for getting the legal job of your "dreams" which is not necessarily the job that pays the most. Some of you will stop reading this review at this point because you feel that the two are synonymous. If you are absolutely sure of that, don't read the book or the rest of this review. Also, go get an MBA because they make way more money, especially per hour worked, than lawyers. But, if you are like me and want more out of your legal career than money, definitely read this book. Believe me, I'm not suggesting that money isn't important. It is. But for most people, money is only one component of happiness.
Since all of you reading this are probably law students, I will tell you that I'm a 3L at UC Davis Law School with some experience to share. The book is a collection of chapters that often repeat themselves. The author explains in the introduction that it is not to be read cover to cover. Read the book section by section according to your needs. For the purposes of this review, I will explain my situation and how the book helped me going forward and how it could have helped me had I read it earlier.
I transferred to UC Davis because I never made it off the waitlist initially. But I worked my butt off first year and made top 10%. That got got me into Davis as a transfer student and I got swept up in OCI fever. I came to law school from a political and local government background and thought that was the direction I was heading. However, doing so well academically made me a target for interviews at big firms. I thought "why are these other loser law students getting the opportunity to earn $30,000 in a summer and get a cushy firm job after graduation? Those salaries are more than my parents make! Sign me up!"
Of course, the book would have warned me that this is an example of "Dream Cloning." Is it really MY dream to go on the big firm track? Isn't there a reason why 1/2 of new associates leave their firm? Is there a reason why very few are actually happy with their jobs? What does billing 2200 hours annually actually mean? Why are they really paying this kind of money? I was not thinking about these questions the book helps flush out. I was thinking that I have just as much skills as the clowns next to me. I'm not trying to hate on OCI, big salaries, or big firms, but it is important for folks to make an informed decision. The book helps law students tremendously in knowing their options, especially with the reality of law school costs.
I got 4 callback interviews and zero offers. I felt like a total loser because some of my friends (though not many) got offers and will make a lot of money. During 2L Spring Semester, after all the rejection letters came in, things did not go well. I actually took the business law classes, which covered what the OCI firms actually practice in. It is stupid that firms hire folks before they get a chance to take these classes. Anyways, I hated the classes and did not do that well in them. This lack of interest is probably why I did not get the jobs during my callbacks. I'm not very good at feigning enthusiasm for stuff I'm not interested in.
At the end of second semester, I read the book and it really defined the situation for me. I forgot why I came to law school and lost my focus. I started to live someone else's life and I didn't like it that much. The book has sections to help students find their focus. It helps one answer the right questions about what kind of life one wants to live.
For me, I love civil practice and having as broad a practice as possible. I also love politics and working with political entities. Also, I like the a high public exposure job. Also, I hate doing the same thing over and over again. I'm willing to sacrifice some salary for the diversity of issues in my legal practice. This is why I want to be a City Attorney--civil practice, lots of legal issues, politics, high exposure--that's me. Most law firms don't practice in this area because it is done in house or there is more money elsewhere.
The book also helps law students identify the negatives of what they do because there is no perfect job. For me, there are lots of negatives with my "dream job." Money isn't great at first, civil litigation is boring, City attorneys have to be worried about media exposure, and political pressure from local elected officials. This is not for everybody but I don't mind the negatives.
Do most law students really know what they want to do and what they are passionate about? Seriously, ask your classmates and you will hear a lot of baloney. They don't have a clue what they want to do and are just going on autopilot. This book gives tips of how to take control of your destiny. Once you figure out what you want, the book explains how to get externships, internships, and the other types of experience you will need to get the job. The reason this is necessary is most "dream" jobs are not advertised.
Also, the legal market nationwide, with the exception of patent law, is contracting. It is a horrible time to be a new law graduate because you are competing with experienced attorneys for employment. Most likely, it is going to take a lot of hustling to get any job let alone the job of your dreams. This book helped me figure out what my dream job is and how to maximize my chances of getting it. It offers no easy answers or guarantees, but in life none exist anyway. All you can do is increase your odds to get what you want.
Read the book.
Antidote for what ails the new job seeker February 28, 2008
2 out of 14 found this review helpful
When I was getting out of law school (decent law school and top 1/3 of class) 10 years ago, I was demoralized. I had figured out how little new associates REALLY were making in Chicago based on the advertisements and anecdotally based on friends who had jobs, while looking at my student loan bills. I was tired from working full time and going to law school at night. I was demoralized by the fact that everyone kept stressing that all we learned in law school was not going to help us, now our REAL educations were going to begin. How TOUGH the job market was. Demoralized by how little I knew about really being a lawyer.
This book was exactly the attitude adjustment I needed. Nothing sells like enthusiasm. And unless you can convince your prospect of your enthusiasm for the job, and your desire to get it no matter what, you are at a real disadvantage.
Look, if you are a top 10 Harvard grad, no problems. If you are a middle of the road student from a middle of the road school--everyone knows it and beats you down. Your ego takes a hit and your spirit is low. This book picks you up, dusts you off, and gets your mind where it needs to be to maximize your chances at every job interview!
I have a news flash for those who don't like the "SALES" message or the "canned" response to questions. Life is sales. Success in life is success in sales, in one form or another. What girl are you going to talk to at a bar--the girl who smiles and is dressed nicely, or the one who sits in the corner and snarls at anyone who comes too close? What guy are you going to talk to? The well dress guy who is laughing and telling a joke--or the guy who looks like he is a real dud, cluded in negativity?
Only those who are in an artificial academic environment can possibly object to raising a prospects spirits, teaching them to maximize the value of what they get for what they have to offer. And news flash--some people give sincere, off the cuff answers to questions that really stink! The author's suggestions on how to answer questions you haven't thought about a good answer for PREVENTS an off the cuff stupid comment that can otherwise torpedo an interview.
This author turned me around 180 degrees, and with her book, I got a job in 2 months, and now operate my own law firm. The hot shot nay sayers can go to heck--this book WORKS! Sure, there is some hyperbole! But it was an important book for me to read. I just suggested it to a grad who is looking for a job!
The best investment I've ever made February 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book as a 1L with very little job experience and even less interviewing experience. I didn't know any lawyers (except my professors) and I thought networking was a dirty word.
After reading this book from cover to cover, I updated my resume using the suggestions in the book, developed an "infomercial" using the exercises in the book, and was able to land a job my first summer out of law school. When my first choice firm turned me down for an on campus interview during my 2L year, I followed up with them (using the suggestions in this book), and was able to get an interview and a job offer...which then turned into a permanent job offer.
After a few years of practicing law, I decided I wanted to try something else, and I turned back to the "Deciding What the Heck the Job of Your Dreams Is, Anyway" chapter in this book, and then started sending out resumes and interviewing--after re-reading the relevant chapters. I finally have my dream job (teaching), and I owe at least part of that to Kimm Alayne Walton and this book.
Yes, although this book is crammed full of useful information (especially for law students who do not have much work experience), it does use a casual, conversational style. If that bothers you, you should read it anyway! It's really worth it.
If you already have lots of experience with interviewing and you know exactly where you want your law degree to take you, then you probably don't need this book. But you might want to take a look at it before your first interviews anyway.
 Does not live up to author's inflated claims. January 16, 2008
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book had some good information. Want to hear it? When a hiring partner asks you to tell him about yourself, he doesn't want to hear where you grew up, etc., he wants to hear what a hard worker you are.
That's about the only thing I found in this book that I couldn't have just pulled up with a standard google search for legal job hunts. And I probably could have found that, too, with about five minutes more effort.
Do lots of informational interviews? Yep, that's advised on many, many free sites. Mass mailers are useless? Yes, that's on free sites as well.
Her claim: the seven words that will ALWAYS get a call back: "Prestigious lawyer X recommended I contact you" is just blatant b.s. No, it will not ALWAYS get you a call back. Sometimes it MAY get you a contact, but I have to say, after following this author's advice pretty much to the letter (except for showing up uninvited and unannounced at a law office, to me that smacks of career suicide), doing lots of informational interviews, sending out dozens of very, very targeted letters based on the contacts made at those interviews I can say that it is NOT a guarantee of a callback. Attorneys have no problem mailing you a big fat ding no matter WHO referred you. To say otherwise sets up new attorneys who bought her claims for a big letdown.
Also, she claims law offices are ALWAYS hiring. This is a ridiculous claim. As I have learned, they are NOT always hiring. In fact, prior to law school I worked for many firms, big and small, usually for a hiring partner. I know for a fact they are not "always" hiring. Sometimes they may love you, they may recommend lots of people you should call/send resumes, they may truly want to help you out, but if they aren't hiring, sorry, they just are not hiring. And for the author to claim that if you are brilliant enough in your interview, or say the absolutely right things, they'll hire you anyway, is false and simply setting a new attorney up for terrible depression and disappointment.
As for getting into a huge firm via the "backdoor method" even if you don't have the grades or go to the right school: this is ludicrous. I've worked for several BIGLAW firms. There are schools that they absolutely will not hire from. Not no how, not no way. In fact, I worked with a woman who tried to get in to a firm from a non-approved school. She worked for the firm as an assistant during her last two years in law school. They told her straight out: we love you, we love your work, we'd love to hire you, BUT YOU WENT TO THE WRONG SCHOOL. (And yes, they were that blunt about it).
The author went to Yale for crying out loud. She has no idea what she's talking about on this one.
As for MCLE classes being a great place to meet people -- she's right. It's a great place to meet people. People that is, who are just like you, fresh out of law school and desperate for a job. It has been my experience that most partners take associates with them to MCLEs. They go together, sit together, leave together, then afterward they go eat together. If you are the guy in the bar who has no problem going up stone cold sober and butting into a conversation between five or six really hot girls, then by all means, try this at an MCLE, and I tip my hat to you.
Bottom line: there isn't anything in this book you can't find for free off the internet. This book is, in fact, harmful to new people, because the author claims if you do X,Y, and Z you will absolutely have the job of your dreams, and when they do X, Y, and Z and fail, the only thing they want to do after that is fling themselves off the nearest tall building.
You REALLY want to know how to find your first legal job? CRAIGSLIST.
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