Working for a big law firm

Has anybody worked for one and cares to share the experience? I am getting really mixed reviews from the glassdoor.

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I have and remember that they want 100% uptime, 24/7...most are not technology savvy BUT want the latest & greatest technology out there and don't know how to use it.

blatini

What exactly has you worried?

I've been offered positions at two before but turned them down. The commonality between them was an overwhelming amount of formality. Whether it be the dress to impress bs culture or seemingly casual but not conversation. I felt like there was a lot of facetiousness and IT was on kiss ass duty. Clearly not a field for me, but could be different for you.

coreyb80

I worked at a law firm, not a big, doing help desk work and I only lasted a few months before I had to leave. Some of the lawyers were cool while others weren't the nicest either. I felt like a secretary as I would take calls to actually help lawyers edit documents as oppose to making sure their software and hardware were operative. They had a network team responsible for account creation, distro creation, permissions, etc. Bad experience, but the cool manager I had makes it memorable.

Fulcrum45

shochan wrote: »

I have and remember that they want 100% uptime, 24/7...most are not technology savvy BUT want the latest & greatest technology out there and don't know how to use it.

I did helpdesk for a decent size accounting firm and they were the same way. Latest and greatest technology but no clue on how to use it. The partners were friendly enough but you kinda knew your place within the organization when you were providing tech support to their kids. No joke; I had to install Minecraft for a 10 year old once.

Granted this wasn't a law firm but I can't imagine they are too dissimilar.

Kreken

Appreciate responses. 24/7 100% uptime doesn't scare me. I worked on the finance and first responder's networks. What worries me is the personal interaction between lawyers and non-lawyers. I guess there is a certain perception about this industry and snobbism toward non-lawyers; and I am not sure I would like to involve myself in this type of working environment, if it is true.

shochan

The positive, lots of pretty paralegals...heh

scaredoftests

shochan wrote: »

The positive, lots of pretty paralegals...heh

meaning?

ITSec14

24/7 100% uptime? Geez, I hope they have a sizable IT budget. Seem's a bit unrealistic unless you are a tech giant.

Hammer80

ITSec14 wrote: »

24/7 100% uptime? Geez, I hope they have a sizable IT budget. Seem's a bit unrealistic unless you are a tech giant.

Sounds about right, if you ever worked with a lawyer or an accountant or been married to one then you know that unrealistic expectations is part of the job. They also have a tendency to be very snobbish , in their eyes you are equal to a janitor and they will treat you accordingly. I guarantee this will be a high stress environment with very little thanks if at all, zero respect for your skill, and plenty of temper tantrums. Any "successful" lawyer or an accountant is a grade A psychopath.

shochan

scaredoftests wrote: »

meaning?

Don't go out with people you work with...

scaredoftests

shochan wrote: »

Don't go out with people you work with...

Oh, that is a given. I thought you were alluding to something else...

shochan

scaredoftests wrote: »

Oh, that is a given. I thought you were alluding to something else...

Please elaborate, inquiring minds want to know

NavyMooseCCNA

A thousand years ago I was a temp at a big law firm for about six weeks and I would prefer not to be around them...same with CPAs...

scaredoftests

shochan wrote: »

Please elaborate, inquiring minds want to know

I plead the 5th.

ITSec14

Hammer80 wrote: »

Sounds about right, if you ever worked with a lawyer or an accountant or been married to one then you know that unrealistic expectations is part of the job. They also have a tendency to be very snobbish , in their eyes you are equal to a janitor and they will treat you accordingly. I guarantee this will be a high stress environment with very little thanks if at all, zero respect for your skill, and plenty of temper tantrums. Any "successful" lawyer or an accountant is a grade A psychopath.

I worked as a bank manager for a few years and let me tell you...the lawyers who had accounts with us were some of the most rude and demanding people to walk the earth. They literally act like they are royalty. I would NEVER work for a law firm.

Accountants have more to worry about, since their jobs will likely be replaced by AI in the future...

the.thrillseekers

I've worked at several BIG law firms that include Cravath, Clifford Chance, and Fragomen... what I can tell you is the IT dept in each of these firms are run differently because of the technology they use. I'm currently studying for my CCNA where it will be put to good use because of the Citrix environment my current firm is on... will there be any openings, who knows - if a chance arises will I go for it - you betcha.. So depending on the technology you may see helpdesk guys do "secretary" work as one fellow here put it editing word docs or in an environment such as Citrix I'm Tier 2 (desktop) so I do a lot of admin work...

Hope this helps....

Kreken

So you liked working there? Admin work like sys admin or like secretary?