Episode 14 Keith Lee from Associate’s Mind Joins Us

Keith Lee is a practicing lawyer and columnist for Above The Law who started his own legal blog Associate’s Mind when he was still in law school.

Keith graduated law school in 2010 right when the legal industry imploded. He knew that he needed to find a way to differentiate himself from the pack. When he had interned for a law firm during school. He had helped that firm set up and launch their own blog. He saw that it helped generate business and interest in the firm.

But what could he blog about having just graduated law school? Keith knew he would lack the authenticity needed to be successful if he started to blog about a specific area of law but he also knew that a successful blog had to have a viewpoint. So he started blogging about what it meant to be a young associate in the current legal marketplace:

· How would he generate business?
· How would he form a relationship with a valuable mentor?
· How would he learn the ins and outs of actually practicing law

Because of the unique voice and viewpoint in Associate’s Mind, he secured a book deal with the ABA; became a popular speaker at law school’s and law firms; and was soon in demand to consult lawyers about what it meant to be in the trenches.

Keith also recognized that his blog filled a void in information for young associates because they were not getting any of that information in law school. The hosts discuss with Keith their experiences in dealing with young associates both in their firms and as adversaries. They see the lack of awareness of the “business-side” of law and discuss how the blame for that failing falls onto law schools allowing professors without real-life experience to often be the main voices that law students hear.

Law schools need to become cognizant that not all law schools are the same and not all law schools are the same. They need to adjust for where they sit in the law school pecking order – they all teach to Big Law even though their students have no chance to get those jobs. The law school model should be adjusted for Tier III and Tier IV law schools to cater to their regional needs. Sixty Percent of all lawyers practice in firms of 10 lawyers or less. Law school curriculums need to be focused on producing law students who graduate with a focus on small firm or solo firm life.

Keith discusses specific points of how young lawyers can distinguish themselves in the marketplace:

· Make sure you think about who you are applying to; tailor your cover letter and resume for the specific needs of the job you are looking to get;
· Specificity is key – do some research about the job and target your communications to the firm based upon what you learn about them before you apply;
· Find a good mentor but realize mentors are not cheerleaders – their entire purpose should be to cultivate your professional growth. You need to be ready to give your time and energy in order to get back the advice and assistance you need. Keith call this building up “Trust Equity” You should look for more than one mentor and they should not all be lawyers.
· Also realize that you may fail initially from time to time and need to learn from those errors. No one comes out of law school ready to be an awesome lawyer.
Keith’s advice is helpful and applicable for all lawyers, not just young lawyers or recent graduates. We encourage all of our listeners to follow Keith Lee on twitter at @associatesmind and read his blog AssociatesMind.com