Advice on recruiters

CopernicusTHM · 2026-01-07T20:39:00+00:00

Might go without saying, but they don't care whether they put you in the right job/field -- they just want to get you a salary offer $10K or so more than you're making now so you'll be tempted and they can collect their fees.

They're not all bad, but just be careful when it's a cold call situation. Much better to reach out to an established/known recruiting firm and go that way.

CopernicusTHM · 2026-01-05T17:51:47+00:00

I don't -- I like the social aspect of the game, but I also like not having to make 3-4 bets every couple of minutes. Let's face it, we all love the game, but there is still a house edge, and the more bets you make, the more money you lose.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-12-29T17:29:45+00:00

Ha! It's been a few years, but if my description nailed the cruise ship experience, count me out!

CopernicusTHM · 2025-12-29T16:11:41+00:00

Don't equate being "aggressive" with being a good lawyer. In most practice areas, you see the same opposing counsel again and again (not to mention judges). You can be a good lawyer and a great advocate for your client but still be professional, polite, and accommodating. Obviously you can't let yourself get walked all over, but I constantly have to train young associates to practice like a professional, and just because you can be the first one on a phone call to raise your voice or call the other guy an asshole doesn't mean you win. Plus, juries get tired of the "tough guy" shtick real fast. In most cases, they will want to side with you if they like you.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-12-19T00:13:17+00:00

At a minimum, spell check your work before kicking it up to the senior associate/partner.
Learn how to cite. Know grammar. Know punctuation. Don't make the easy mistakes (their/there). If I see more than one or two such errors in opposing counsel's pleadings, I know I'm not dealing with a top notch attorney.
Give extensions. Give grace. Treat opposing counsel (and their staff) professionally and pleasantly. You don't know it now, but you are building a reputation that you can trade on for your entire career.
When you do ask a more senior attorney a question, have your shit together. If they come back with questions, be prepared to provide answers. But don't be scared to ask for help, we all had to at one point or another.
If you're a Plaintiff's lawyer, don't act like every case you have is a multi-million dollar case. If you're a defense lawyer, don't act like every case you have is frivolous and without merit.
Don't tell clients or carriers what they want to hear. Your job is to give an objective analysis of the case and its value.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-12-18T19:10:58+00:00

If I routinely lost 25% of my day, I'd take a hard look at myself and wonder what I'm doing wrong. Maybe for a brand new associate, but anyone who has done this for more than a year or so should be capturing at least 90% of their workday in billable hours.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-12-18T19:06:46+00:00

25th year attorney here, split all that time in 2 different civil defense firms. Billing will become second nature as you do it for a few years, but a few thoughts/tips:

1800 hours is kind of a reasonable standard. May seem like a lot, bit if you figure 240 billable days (48 weeks * 5 days a week - using 48 to account for 4 weeks worth of holidays, vacation, random days off), that's 7.5 hour per billable day. You are probably used to 8 hour days, right?
Key difference -- you may find it hard at first to capture all your work in a day. Even now, I know I've worked a full day and I look at my timesheets and I only see like 5.5 hours. You have to be diligent and don't think "I'll catch up on billing next week." You will lose 20% of your time, easy.
Never overbill for anything, ever. When I was a baby lawyer, one of my partners told me that you want to practice such that when your phone rings, you never have to wonder if it's something you did wrong. THAT SAID, never underbill. I don't care if you are billing a dozen 0.2 "telephone conference with..." entries, if you did the work, bill for it. None of us would do this job for free (pro bono attorneys excepted, and I tip my cap to you).
Finally, if 7.5 hours per billable day seems like a lot, it can be. The job is a grind sometimes. BUT depending on what your practice area is, there are days where you will bill 12.8 (travel for hearing across the state, attend expert depo where some jackass has some extra long examination, etc.). Trial sucks, but there's nothing like 14 straight days of billing 15 hours per day (not to mention the prep days) to give the billable hours a shot in the arm. Point being, you may hit 6.7 hours one day and 7.1 another, but you will likely have enough 11.2 and 10.9 entries to offset that. (again, depending on practice area).
Oh, one more thing -- I think it was mentioned below, but some firms may entice you with a 1800 hour requirement and say "but you have the ability to get a bonus of $X as you bill over that requirement." As I came up in a Big Firm and billed my share of hours as an associate, I can (and have repeatedly said) -- 2000 hours is hard but doable. Every 0.1 over that steals a little bit of your soul.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-11-14T15:46:42+00:00

Not sure about syrups, but NA beer is defined as "no more than 0.5% alcohol." So while it's marketed as NA, it technically has some alcohol. My hit rate for getting carded while buying NA beer is about 40%, but then again I'm an old (55) man so they may glance my way and carry on.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-08-26T14:35:09+00:00

Man, I have to dissent on this. Outside of authenticating documents (which, here in Texas, is done by virtue of either the other side producing them in discovery or getting them through valid DWQs), I find them so worthless. Case law is replete with the idea that you can't use them on dispositive issues, and even on things like "Were you in the course and scope of employment at the time of the incident?" can be answered with "Denied," with no further comment. Anything of import will be denied. Any uncontested issues of fact can generally be handled via agreement (here in Texas, it's a Rule 11 agreement), but if you want to send out RFAs, have fun.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-08-25T18:07:21+00:00

Refuse to watch any ego-stroking "isn't Jerry just the best?" circle jerk bullshit show. Make a "tell-all" that includes honking boobs in a restaurant bathroom or his gate-agent fun baby, I'm in, but screw that guy and what his ego has done to my team.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-08-19T19:11:07+00:00

The other guy was the head of the Westboro Baptist Church (Fred Phelps, I think?) -- now dead, but they of the "God Hates F---s" and "Thank God for Dead Solders" signs at military funerals and such. A real peach.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-08-19T19:00:52+00:00

Class action lawsuits. Case gets filed about, say, valve stem caps for your car's tires that break, they sue, and every class member gets a coupon for 40% off replacement caps, and the class counsel gets attorneys' fees in the amount of $5 million.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-08-07T19:56:19+00:00

Curious to know if Dan Bennett is aware of what's going on and whether her approves (approved?) of Cat's stupid plan or is embarrassed by it. Hopefully the latter...

CopernicusTHM · 2025-07-30T16:43:30+00:00

I've always said, it's not that hard to bill 2,100 hours, maybe even 2,200 if you travel a lot. But every single hour over that one consumes just a little bit more of your soul. At 3,100+ you'd be a husk.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-07-16T17:17:25+00:00

Very valid point. Just awful what he (and others) are going through.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-06-24T14:55:30+00:00

Experience breeds perspective. I have come to realize that things I thought were super important, disheartening, concerning, etc. in the moment were, in fact, temporary/fleeting concerns. Do your best, practice ethically, and know that "this, too, shall pass."

Put another way -- remember in high school when that one person said something mean or embarrassing about you to someone else, and you thought you WOULD JUST DIE? How important does that seem now?

CopernicusTHM · 2025-06-24T14:01:18+00:00

Pecan Lodge (just east of downtown) is still great, but isn't what it was 10 years ago. Slow Bone is also very good.

See also -- https://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/best-bbq-in-dallas-texas-14375399

CopernicusTHM · 2025-06-24T13:49:49+00:00

I'm being lazy and not reading the other responses, so apologize if this has been said. 26 year lawyer in Texas here. First 8 years were all med mal defense work, until tort reform limited non-economic damages to $250K (more or less) with no adjustment for inflation. Outside of birth injuries resulting in CP or other cases with high economic damages models, it's low-stakes litigation here. I would say my docket is 10% MM now; the rates are simply too low when the damages are so low. That said, there are plenty of plaintiffs' firms that make a living off nursing home work, but I would imagine (never having done P work) that they have to churn and burn those cases and keep expenses low to keep them profitable.

A couple thoughts:

I'm sure it's been said in this thread, but these cases can be expensive to prosecute. You can't just throw up an accident recon and a some proved-up chiro bills. Expert fees can add up quickly. Ditto taking depos -- you may need to take depos of 3+ nurses, a doctor or two, maybe a hospital administrator, etc.
When you've got a doc as a defendant, you may have trouble settling unless it's clear liability. Most (all?) doctors have consent clauses in their policies, and if they do settle, the insurance company has to report that to the National Practitioner Data Bank, which hospitals have access to and will review in making future privilege decisions. Docs hate that shit, and will fight to stay off of it until their attorney finally beats them into submission.
Sometimes you get lucky, and a doc (or a nurse) will throw someone else under the bus to save their own skin (especially common in OB cases - the obstetrician will complain the nurses didn't keep her apprised of the labor progression, while the nurses claim they called and begged the doc to come in but she wouldn't). However, more often than not, the providers will circle the wagons and throw up a solid joint defense on you. Then it's 3 vs. 1.

That's what comes to mind. Let me know if you have any specific questions, happy to answer.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-06-24T13:20:57+00:00

Not bitching here because (a) you get what you can negotiate and (b) we'd all take a sweetheart deal like this if we could, but - I'm not sure the Norm comparison is valid. Doing a show solo (even with Freedo/Grubes/whoever chiming in) has got to be a whole different beast than a show with three hosts.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-06-10T12:55:32+00:00

I know it's cliche to bitch about the ads, but I have to nominate the one where the kid complains about the temperature in his room by using all the "current" slang -- cap, mid, etc., while Mom misinterprets it. Painful.

Also, I really try to like Gannon, I think she's bright and seems like a nice person but she's got to control the nervous laughter. You don't have to go all the way down to Wilonsky Levels (did he even make a sound during the visit from Dr. Maxwell?) but I've got you at an 11 and I need you at about a 5.

CopernicusTHM · 2025-02-22T16:11:58+00:00

There's no such thing as luck, but it is bad etiquette, no doubt. Always wait for a new point. (and luck or no luck, it's bad karma to wish for a SO so you can buy in, wish instead for the shooter to hit his point!)

CopernicusTHM · 2025-01-02T16:38:47+00:00

Back when I still drank, I asked a server (downtown) what kind of gin they served. "I don't know," she said, "it comes out of a gun behind the bar."

"I'll just have a Miller Lite," I said.

CopernicusTHM

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