I Read About Family Law and It Really Inspired Me. What Now?

[,.,.,.;.,.,.]

Is it a good idea to try to land a summer gig with, say, a divorce attorney or Cook County if I'm trying to get into BigLaw next year?  Where do I start?  I noticed that most family law types didn't go the typical T14 -> BigLaw -> in-house route, and that, in fact, most local family lawyers went to lower-ranked schools.  Does that mean it'll be harder to network with them?

I'm in Property and I really love our wills, trusts, and estates unit, and family law seems like a good fit for me because I like working with people (I was a recruiter before LS).  Some of the prenup and post-decree modification stuff I've been reading about is also inspirational.

[Private David Lewis]

What does it inspire you to do?

[,.,.,.;.,.,.]

What does it inspire you to do?

Try to find work with a family law attorney for my first year.  It looks like, even at Chicago, people will probably get shut out of firms, and I'm not counting on it.

[Bigbie]

BigLaw and FamilyLaw don't belong in the same sentence. You will not find a biglaw firm with a family law practice.

[,.,.,.;.,.,.]

BigLaw and FamilyLaw don't belong in the same sentence. You will not find a biglaw firm with a family law practice.

I realize that, which is why I asked whether firms will be suspicious if I try to do family law work this summer.

[Private David Lewis]

BigLaw and FamilyLaw don't belong in the same sentence. You will not find a biglaw firm with a family law practice.

I realize that, which is why I asked whether firms will be suspicious if I try to do family law work this summer.

Suspicious of what?

You don't have to work for a family law firm, although you probably could if you tried.  Maybe work for a DA's office?  Or a nonprofit that does domestic violence or helps kids?

[TheDudeMan]

Big firms don't handle family law for one reason: conflict issues.  You will never do family law in biglaw.  It simply creates too many conflicts.

While I admire your dedication to family law, may I make the suggestion of doing it pro bono once you are at a large firm if that is what you really want?  The reality is that the Family Law bar is a mess and you will find yourself dealing with piss poor lawyers on a regular basis. 

If you want a sophisticated legal practice, then family law is not where to make it happen.

[psumike09]

If you want a sophisticated legal practice, then family law is not where to make it happen.

I'm not sure what you've deemed to be "sophisticated" and "unsophisticated" practice areas. Family law regularly handles issues of jurisdiction (personal and subject matter), due process, contract law, negotiations, taxation, dissolution of corporations and quasi-corporate entities, trusts and estates, and many more. You need to be well versed in most fields of law just to survive in the family arena. I don't see the same level of knowledge in a lot of other practice areas. And top it all off with the fact that you need to be able to both work with clients in sensitive situations as well as be a solid litigator. Sounds sort of sophisticated to me.

As for big firms not handling family law, they do, and you'll need to back up your conflict rationale. You might not find divorce or custody on a mega firms website, but there are a lot of practice areas that they delve into that they don't advertise. If a client is involved in a divorce, his lawyer will find a way to take care of it and to bill for it.

OP, family law is a great practice area and you should take the chance to experience a family law environment.

[jdizon]

As for big firms not handling family law, they do, and you'll need to back up your conflict rationale. You might not find divorce or custody on a mega firms website, but there are a lot of practice areas that they delve into that they don't advertise. If a client is involved in a divorce, his lawyer will find a way to take care of it and to bill for it.


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[jacy85]

As for big firms not handling family law, they do, and you'll need to back up your conflict rationale. You might not find divorce or custody on a mega firms website, but there are a lot of practice areas that they delve into that they don't advertise. If a client is involved in a divorce, his lawyer will find a way to take care of it and to bill for it.


tampa divorce lawyers

Not at my big firm, not at the big firm I worked for before LS, and not at the firms my friends work at.  JSIA.