Best books for fledgling lawyers: The New Lawyer's Handbook: 101 Things They Don't Teach You in Law School The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win Tomorrow's Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future
Mar 04, 2020 · Most Humorous Book: The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law Buy on Amazon Packing quite a punch in its 135 pages, this book is as hilarious as it is informative. Inside, veteran lawyer Mark Hermann walks you through a day in the life of a lawyer, through the eyes of his fictional no-BS character, The Curmudgeon.
There were several novels that I read that prompted my desire to be a lawyer. The most beloved was To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. What hasn’t …
Mar 15, 2022 · Lee’s The Marble and the Sculptor is one of the best books for lawyers who are new to the field. He shares his advice in the form of a “clear no-nonsense path from law school to lawyering.” Advice includes everything from which classes to take during law school to the importance of being able to write well and develop client relationships.
A law professor and author teaches non-attorneys how to think like a lawyer to gain advantage in their lives—whether buying a house, negotiating a salary, or choosing the right healthcare. Lawyers aren’t like other people. They often argue points that are best left alone or look for mistakes in menus “just because.”
Annual Salary | Hourly Wage | |
---|---|---|
Top Earners | $129,500 | $62 |
75th Percentile | $96,500 | $46 |
Average | $80,743 | $39 |
25th Percentile | $60,000 | $29 |
Another book — and yes, these were actual physical books, long before digital days — that made me want to be a lawyer was Anatomy of a Murder. Published in 1958 and written by Robert Traver, it’s the story of a defense lawyer who represents an Army lieutenant accused of the murder of an innkeeper who allegedly raped the lieutenant’s wife. The defense? Temporary insanity.
Another novel about the law was the story of two University of Chicago students, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, who were convicted of the brutal murder of a young boy, Bobby Franks, in the early 1920s, not far from the U of C campus on Chicago’s South Side. Why did they do it?
So, I’m a dinosaur, and yes, these are old books and TV shows. If you want a more current list of books every lawyer should read, here’s one . I haven’t read most of them, so I’ve work to do.
Want to set yourself apart from the competition? Purple Cow is one of the best books for lawyers because it gives you the tips you need to get started.
This book takes you through the practical side of running a business, and gives you the tools to put systems in place that will help you succeed.
Law is a Buyer’s Market covers how lawyers can respond to an increasingly competitive landscape with cost-effective solutions.
The legal profession is inherently stressful, but it doesn’t have to harm your health. The Anxious Lawyer provides a straightforward 8-week introductory program on meditation and mindfulness, created by lawyers for lawyers.
Covering the what, why, and how of running a client-centered practice, with examples from law firms leading this revolution as well as practical strategies for implementation, The Client-Centered Law Firm is a rallying call to unlock the enormous untapped demand in the legal market by providing client-centered experiences, improving internal processes, and raising the bottom line. Although we may be a tad biased since Jack is Clio’s CEO, with the in-depth implementation strategies included in this book, we promise you won’t regret adding it to your reading list of best books for lawyers.
While The E-Myth Attorney was popular, one lawyer recommended a different Michael Gerber book instead—The E-Myth Revisited—which focuses on the broader context of starting a small business, not just a law firm:
Want to get the fundamentals of running a law firm in one clear, concise guide? Clio’s lawyer in residence, Joshua Lenon, recommends this ABA bestseller as a great starting point.
An insightful analysis of the ways in which emerging technologies are transforming the landscape of the legal profession. As the world becomes more connected, and information shared more easily, there is increasingly more pressure to reassess the way legal services are provided and to make them more efficient and less costly.
Sometimes, good attorneys make good raconteurs, and this book explains how the best attorneys can transform a simple set of factual circumstances into a fascinating and believable narrative that has the ability to capture the heart and the minds of everyone in the courtroom.
To many, Bleak House is Dickens’s greatest novel; it is surely one of the writer’s most compelling and entertaining. It deals with the themes of loss, law, social class, secrecy, and inheritance, as well as, the effect the process of law has on clients and their businesses.
While it is common knowledge that lawyers are considered by some to be selfish, cagey and of questionable integrity, this novel contrasts this image with one of a lawyer, Atticus Finch, whose integrity is unwavering. Although the book deals with the disturbing issues of rape and racism, it is both tender and hilarious.
Written as if it were a long blog post, Anonymous Lawyer recounts the experiences of a dynamic lawyer who endeavors to become chairman of his firm. His lust for power has no boundaries and there is no price we won’t pay to achieve his goals.
Understanding the experiences of successful lawyers so that one can learn from their wisdom and incorporate that in their own life and practice
Never Eat Alone. Lawyers keep talking about how important it is to network, but most struggle to do it right. This book written by Keith Ferrazzi , a former CIO of Mckinsey & Co and currently a consultant to CXOs of Fortune 500 companies.
The ONE Thing is the best approach to getting what you want. We tend to want a lot of things, and sometimes we end up chasing two rabbits at the same time. Lawyers cannot afford to make that mistake. How can you aim for huge, outsized, massive achievements that sound like fantasy? You have to aim for the domino effect. That’s what this book is all about. The mantra here is that you can achieve many things by focusing on one right thing at a time.
Here is a sample: “It is time to evolve beyond the macho jerk ideal, all spine and no heart. It is also time to evolve beyond the sensitive and caring wimp ideal, all heart and no spine.”.
It is a book that will make you think again about your role in the world if you are a man, and it will make you relate to the men around you in a whole new way if you are a woman. It is the wisdom of the ages distilled for a quick read that you will never forget.
The Four Hour Work Week. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich is a self-help book by Timothy Ferriss , an American writer, educational activist, and entrepreneur. Reading the Four Hour Work Week blog changed my life back in college. I consider that the most important turning point of my life.
Being a lawyer is not easy. You spend the day in the court, in client meetings, and come back at night to the chambers to do the real work for the next day. Lawyers almost always burn the midnight oil. They also have to be fast learners, quick adapters and always updated about the latest law. It is easy to be distracted, and to be shallow in a world where you are required to constantly respond to one crisis after another. How are you going to create powerful impact still on the legal industry, with the quality of your analysis, legal theory, or writing that can shape the future of the law in your area of expertise? Deep Work talks exactly about that.
For lawyers who own their own law firm or hope to do so in the future. John Fisher creates a manual of how his office is set up and why it is set up that way.
A comprehensive and entertaining guide to the leading marketing strategies for attorneys. It focuses on practical solutions for increasing exposure, driving traffic, and generating leads that turn into profitable cases.
This book is an amazing history of the events leading up to the Brown decision. It really shows the bravery and brilliance of the lawyers involved. You get the full details of the families, plaintiffs, lawyers, and court system that lead to this decision.
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We as attorneys must recognize that the law is a service profession . Our service is legal services, but clients are accustom to good customer service, whether from Starbucks, or Target or Amazon. This book offers concrete suggestions on how a law practice can improve customer service.
Being a lawyer means being a writer. Just when you thought those law school papers were done, that's not quite the case. "I'm a litigator, which can be a bit like writing a term paper every night for the rest of your life," Devereux says.
Burnout, stress, and depression are incredibly common among lawyers. Make sure you take advantage of mental health days, vacation days, and sick days, and if you're truly struggling (or your colleagues are), consult a mental health practitioner. 15. You probably won't be rich.
You probably won't spend much time in court. All the movies that show lawyers only working when they're in court are not at all accurate. " In fact, you might never see a courtroom," Devereux says. You'll probably be spending a lot of time alone, in an office, researching cases, and processing paperwork.
And it may allow you to move around or work remotely. "Because trademarks and copyrights are regulated by a federal agency, you can work with trademark and copyright clients from any state. This gives you lots of flexibility if you don’t want to be stuck in the state in which you are barred," says Rodgers. 6.
" Here’s the thing. The bar exam—like most academic exams in our country—was first developed by white, affluent, powerful men (a.k.a. the patriarchy) who very much wanted to retain their power," Rodgers says. While the exam and its policies have changed slightly over the years, it's still going to be a challenge to pass.
It's not easy to make partner (or become a part-owner of a firm instead of an employee), even if you're a top performer. "In my experience, most people I worked with did not make partner," Jamie says. Often, it's worth it to leave and go to another firm to get to that level, she admits.
" Law school doesn't really teach you how to practice law," Devereux says. It turns out, you have a lot left to learn. "In the beginning, it may seem like nearly every time you are assigned a task, it's something that you've never done before," she adds. But don't worry, eventually, with more practice (pun intended) you'll get the hang of the skill set and type of law you're practicing. "The anxiety should subside after a couple of years when you've developed a decent base of skills," Devereux says.