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Not sure how many of you are law graduates... But I have recently been offered a job at a barrister's chambers, as well as several other jobs from commercial law firms. The thing is though that this barrister has a bad reputation (in terms of competence). A close family friend of mine has advised me that reputation is very important in the legal sector, and another legal agency has advised me to avoid this barrister at all costs. The thing is, it's the area of law that I would be very interested in (family law), and even though he does have an allegedly bad reputation he does seem to have a decent inflow of clients.
The pros and cons are these:
I like family law.
If this barrister is incompetent, it'll end up affecting my training.
If he's made mistakes or been incompetent in the past, surely he's learnt from them and is more experienced now?
If he has a bad reputation, it would not look good on my resume to have worked under him. The legal agency said they advise people who have previously worked for him to not include it on their resumes, and instead state that they are unemployed (because apparently the law firms are reluctant to have to retrain bad habits that may have developed).
I dislike corporate firm type work.
But it would guarantee me a secure and high income.
But I wouldn't feel like I am being true to myself and doing the work I enjoy.
I'd appreciate any thoughts or opinions, and it would be a bonus if any of you have been law graduates in the past and have had to make similar decisions.
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i don't know anything about law or the legal field, but from a fundamental relationship-building/networking standpoint, i'd say avoid the shady dude with the bad rep. If you work under this guy, and everyone else knows you work under this guy, it might hurt your chances to build solid relationships with other lawyers or law firms. You said it yourself, working for this guy would look bad on your resume. So who would want to hire you after you decide to move onto another firm? I say bite the bullet and work for the corporate firm for a few years, keep your head down, make solid connections, and then move into the field you like.
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Same thing with the guy above me, I don't have any experience in the legal field particularly, but in a LOT of careers and industries (mine being the graphic design industry in particular), reputation and having a good network within the industry is a huge deal. I'd advise to stay away from this barrister as well if you're planning on moving on to other places afterwards. The only reason it'd be fine would be if you're planning on staying there for a very long time, so as it won't matter that you're working for someone with a bad reputation.
Good luck!
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United Kingdom38135 Posts
I'd advise to stay away from this barrister as well if you're planning on moving on to other places afterwards. The only reason it'd be fine would be if you're planning on staying there for a very long time, so as it won't matter that you're working for someone with a bad reputation.
Some very wise words.
It doesn't sound like either are going to be your ideal positions, but I'd personally much rather take work with a more reputable employer doing something that isn't quite what I wanted, than gamble on someone in the correct field who a specialised agency has flat out told me to steer clear of.
Get yourself some stable experience with the better company, and then you can always move on down the line to doing what you really want with some good references under your belt.
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If you have to ask whether you should take a job with a company with a particular reputation, you've pretty much answered your own question.
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Actually I don't see why not, especially if you don't foresee yourself getting a different position anytime soon.
Surely, your boss can be incompetent, but that doesn't mean you have to be like him. I don't know exactly your tasks, but if you have some degrees of freedom at this job, I think it is still an opportunity to grow as long as you are confident of your own abilities.
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1 year with a guy which has a 1% chance of screwing up your career for life
or
1 year out of work still looking for a job
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It seems like it would be insane to take the job with the family law guy. You have received strong warnings from multiple sources.
Do you think it may be possible that working in corporate law could open up doors to practice family law later? Perhaps with a year or two of corporate law under your belt you could receive an offer from a more reputable barrister in the field you want.
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do you get offered a job once you graduate? Or do you look for it yourself? I've heard some decent prospects can be offered a position while still studying. How true is it?
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If you do good work, and you handle yourself appropriately, then the reputation of the guy you work for should be irrelevant.
A reputation is something you earn, not something you adopt. Build a good one for yourself, and it will follow you everywhere you go.
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I don't understand some of the advice on here.
OP said:
If he has a bad reputation, it would not look good on my resume to have worked under him. The legal agency said they advise people who have previously worked for him to not include it on their resumes, and instead state that they are unemployed (because apparently the law firms are reluctant to have to retrain bad habits that may have developed).
That working for the family law guy would be harmful to his reputation is not really debatable; it has already been established by people much closer to the situation than we are. My own guess about why reputation is viewed as so important is this: Future employers are not necessarily able to independently access or evaluate the actual work you do in this field, which is why the reputation of your current/past employers is of such great importance.
The important question is whether it is "worth it". I wouldn't frame this a question of whether it is better to follow your dreams or not. It seems to me the more relevant question is, "Which choice will be more helpful in meeting your goals?" A lot depends on how plausible it is to move between corporate and family law, but I don't know enough to offer any advice about this.
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EPT
