Ever
since
I
started
this
column
almost
nine
years
ago,
law
students
have
reached
out
to
me
seeking
advice
on
their
careers.
I
welcome
this
contact,
and
anyone
who
wants
to
ask
my
advice
on
their
plans
or
career
moves
should
feel
free
to
email
me
at
[email protected]. I
recently
heard
from
a
law
student
who
is
nervous
about
the
job
market
since
he
has
not
yet
secured
a
position
after
graduating. This
person
said
he
might
open
up
his
own
practice
if
he
could
not
find
a
job
after
law
school.
For
a
variety
of
reasons,
opening
up
a
law
practice
directly
after
law
school
is
not
advisable
and
should
be
avoided
in
most
circumstances.
The
first
point
in
my
career
where
I
considered
opening
up
my
own
law
practice
was
after
I
was
laid
off
in
a
mass
reduction
in
force
about
18
months
after
graduating
from
law
school. I
did
not
want
to
deal
with
job
hunting,
and
I
disliked
all
of
the
administrative
hassles
of
working
at
a
larger
law
firm. However,
I
knew
that
starting
a
law
firm
at
that
point
was
not
the
best
idea,
and
I
waited
another
six
and
half
years
before
opening
up
my
own
shop.
I
knew
I
could
not
open
my
own
practice
earlier
in
my
career
since
I
did
not
have
sufficient
experience
handling
legal
matters.
Law
school
does
a
poor
job
of
teaching
students
the
practical
information
they
need
to
be
practicing
lawyers. Even
Biglaw
lawyers
might
not
have
the
training
at
such
shops
to
open
their
own
practice. Indeed,
when
I
worked
in
Biglaw,
I
mostly
wrote
research
memos
and
conducted
document
reviews,
and
these
tasks
were
not
too
helpful
when
I
opened
my
own
practice.
The
experience
that
was
most
helpful
to
me
was
working
at
an
insurance
defense
firm
for
a
few
years. At
that
shop,
I
had
primary
responsibility
over
dozens
of
cases,
and
I
handled
all
of
the
court
appearances,
motions,
depositions,
and
other
associated
tasks. These
experiences
gave
me
the
confidence
needed
to
open
my
own
shop,
and
I
am
happy
I
waited
until
I
had
a
deep
breadth
of
experience
before
hanging
my
own
shingle.
Monetary
reasons
might
also
keep
law
school
graduates
from
opening
their
own
shop.
Law
firms
are
difficult
to
establish,
and
lawyers
may
not
earn
significant
amounts
of
money
shortly
after
starting
a
law
firm. Indeed,
lawyers
should
expect
that
they
will
not
earn
a
decent
income
for
at
least
a
few
years
after
they
open
their
own
shop. Law
students
often
do
not
have
cash
reserves
they
can
rely
upon
during
tough
financial
times
and
might
have
student
loans
that
can
divert
resources
away
from
establishing
a
practice. It
is
often
best
to
work
at
another
shop
first
where
law
school
graduates
can
earn
consistent
income
and
save
money.
Another
reason
why
starting
a
law
firm
after
graduating
law
school
might
be
difficult
is
sine
people
are
less
likely
to
trust
a
lawyer
who
is
green
and
inexperienced. Clients
usually
like
to
know
that
a
lawyer
has
significant
experience
in
the
practice
of
law
and
has
preferably
handled
matters
like
the
client’s
case
in
the
past. Although
some
law
schools
offer
clinics
that
can
confer
practical
knowledge,
this
type
of
reassurance
can
usually
only
be
had
by
years
of
experience
in
the
practice
of
law. Moreover,
it
is
usually
easier
to
originate
business
when
lawyers
get
a
little
older
since
their
counterparts
are
in
more
senior
positions
at
businesses
and
are
more
able
to
influence
decisions
on
which
lawyer
to
hire.
All
told,
there
may
be
some
situations
in
which
it
makes
sense
to
begin
a
law
firm
shortly
after
graduating
from
law
school. But
in
most
instances,
law
school
graduates
should
work
at
other
shops
for
at
least
several
years
before
opening
their
own
shop.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at jordan@rothman.law.