Must I be employed by a big law firm?

A young wig after reading our piece titled ‘For the good of the firm’ published on 23rd December, 2014 sent me a message on facebook, saying, “I realise that being in a big office will make one learn more and know people much, at present my principal is not paying me well considering the bulk […]

A young wig after reading our piece titled ‘For the good of the firm’ published on 23rd December, 2014 sent me a message on facebook, saying, “I realise that being in a big office will make one learn more and know people much, at present my principal is not paying me well considering the bulk of work that I do, I’m now thinking of applying to a Senior Advocate’s office…” As the situation cannot be answered with a straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’, this writer referred the young wig to past articles written on the issue.
Another young wig met me and made the same complaint, that our colleagues in bigger and reputable law firms have better chances of succeeding in the profession than those of us who work in average firms. According to this young wig, “the welfare packages offered by these firms encourage one to do more in the profession than average firms that only concern themselves with a young lawyer’s salary, nothing more.”
Can it then be said, that for a young lawyer to be successful in the legal profession, he or she must first be employed with a big law firm? This young wig vehemently disagrees with that notion, not because bigger law firms don’t provide better opportunities but because no matter where a young wig is stationed, he alone has what it takes to be a success. There exist lawyers who have worked in reputable firms during their earlier days of practise who are now doing terribly bad standing on their own.
Learning the profession is not restricted to working in a big law firm, as long as a law firm has a library and a young wig is assigned cases to handle from time to time; this provides one with the opportunity to learn. Do not forget that the pioneers and founders of these reputable law firms started from somewhere before they got to where they are now; some didn’t even get the privilege of working with reputable firms before establishing theirs, that should tell you something.
As for meeting people, there is no way one would be a practicing lawyer and would not meet people, except you want to widen the range of the people you meet. If you don’t meet people in the office, you will definitely meet them as you carry out your daily legal task.
My question then is, how have you managed the people you have met so far to better your practise and how would more be beneficial to you?
Please don’t get me wrong, it is every young wig’s desire (including this writer) to work in a law firm where his welfare is given due attention; where professionalism is the order of the day and certain allowances follow pay cheques to boost morale, but again, it is common knowledge that these firms cannot employ the majority of young lawyers in the profession because they are few in number.
To be successful in the profession depends on what a young wig desires to achieve, any misplaced goal now would definitely play out in the future. For young wigs who feel a bigger office would provide more learning opportunities and avenue to meet more people, they must first know how to manage what they currently have to appreciate something bigger, it is not out of the ordinary to get employed into a bigger law firm and still not derive satisfaction from the job.
If being employed in the services of a big and reputable law firm is a ‘gate pass’ to success in the profession, what then happens to lawyers who don’t get such employment?
The point being that, any law firm a lawyer finds himself, as long as he is determined to grow in the profession and be successful, he can make it – all you need is a library, a laptop or computer and an office desk!

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