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9781888960198

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Since the introduction of One L by Scott Turow, published in 1977, many authors have attempted to write similarly instructional and successful books about becoming a lawyer. Thane Josef Messinger has differentiated his book by focusing not only on law school travails, but also on firm expectations of new associates. The primary focus of his book is on how new attorneys can immediately assume a production role without wasting countless hours of time. The book is extremely useful in training new associates and reminding senior partners of the commonly forgotten problems new attorneys face. It provides numerous ideas regarding the information to impart to new associates to ensure their success. Chapter Four, called Getting the Work Done, instructs associates in a simple format how to write briefs, memos of law, complete forms and draft contracts. The author addresses the concerns, worries and fears of new associates who try to balance the need for detail and completeness against efficient use of time. The author's instructions are poignant and remind supervisory attorneys of wisdom to impart to new associates that they may take for granted or inadvertently overlook. Chapter Five succinctly addresses the basics of legal style and prose. The author provides insightful advice to help new associates manage tasks and competing firm interests. Messinger also addresses office politics and promotes modesty, even if an associate is a super genius. It provides strategy considerations for dealing with Rambo attorneys, and even the difficult client. This book will help new attorneys regardless of whether they work for a firm, government agency, corporation, or have their own solo practice. It imparts knowledge and instills confidence. The table of contents is well organized, and it is moderately easy to find the information one is searching for after a cursory review. This author does an excellent job of addressing the fears and concerns of new associates and the objectives of partners. He also addresses many other issues commonly overlooked in other books, like how to handle feedback and what to do if problems arise in employment. I recommend new attorneys, law students and supervisory attorneys read this book. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE Oklahoma Bar Journal Vol. 71, No. 26, September 9, 2000 BOOK REVIEW By Tracy A. Cinocca THE YOUNG LAWYERS JUNGLE BOOK by Thane Josef Messinger, Fine Print Press $18.95, 256 pages--Tracy A. Cinocca Oklahoma Bar Journal

Who says there's no how-to manual for new lawyers just starting their first legal jobs? Jagged Rocks of Wisdom and The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book come about as close as possible to providing the Holy Grail for new associates: practical advice on navigating the day-to-day life as a real, live, memo-writing attorney. Jagged Rocks of Wisdom delivers its career advice in Rules, which are explained in short, pithy chapters and include anecdotes. The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book takes a more in-depth approach to helping new associates succeed in their jobs. Both books are quick reads and perfect companions. -- Carrie May Poniewaz, Florida Bar Journal, vol 81, no. 10, Nov. 2007 As a young associate, I was anxious to read The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book . Like most associates starting out, I have quickly realized that three years of law school education did not adequately prepare me for legal practice. While volumes have been written about law school survival and how to get ahead in law school, books on associate survival are relatively few in number. (Probably due to the lack of time young associates have for outside reading.) Thus, it was refreshing to discover that Messinger's book is primarily addressed to that forgotten class of legal society. The author offers his own tidbits and advice on everything from your place in the firm to dealing with other attorneys, clients, secretaries, and staff in order to avoid the traps and pitfalls that await every young junior in a firm. The author delivers his words of wisdom in a light-hearted and humorous manner, which makes the subject matter a little easier to digest. The book is peppered with anecdotes and humorous stories from the author's own early years as an associate. The book is loaded with common-sense advice for new associates, presented in a humorous, readable manner. Joseph Lee, Esq., Washington State Bar News , March 1997, pp. 38-39. - Joseph Lee, Esq. - Washington State Bar The background Messinger provides to the new associate is priceless. Law firms might want to consider purchasing a copy for each associate. aLaw Practice Management (ABA) , March 1997, pp. 60-62. Full review: It has been documented many times that the first year of law practice is one of the most stressful in the life of a lawyer, replete with new surroundings, experiences, behaviors, and requirements. This book offers suggestions and survival guidelines on topics from legal research to writing style to appropriate dress to professional relationships inside and outside the firm. The author provides realistic descriptions of the time required of a new associate, the hierarchies that exist within firms, and the mysteries surrounding the annual review. This is the type of information a law student might assume is covered in law school or a CLE course or by the firm itself, but generally is not. Additionally, the book offers advice for the law student on classes, on summer jobs and judicial clerkships, and on the bar exam. A former law review editor and lawyer with a commercial practice, the author's view of the law firm environment is one more structured and silk stockinged than may be true for many firms today, but the background he provides to the new associate is priceless. Law firms might want to consider purchasing a copy for each associate. Law Practice Management , March 1997, pp. 60-62. - ABA Staff - Law Practice Management Speaking primarily to new attorneys, law students, and would-be law students, though also to more senior attorneys with management and training responsibilities, the author assesses with dead-pan humor the current legal marketplace and concludes that it is less collegial and more competitive than ever before as more and more lawyers battle for the business of increasingly demanding and sophisticated clients. The author stresses that new attorneys must work hard to develop the proper attitude about the practice of law. The book not only examines such traditional orientation topics as how to work effectively with your secretary, how to organize and prioritize your work, the need to develop a proper and persuasive writing style, and the need to meet your billable target, but also more subtle, though no less important, topics that are rarely the subject of formal orientation meetings. For example, modesty, responsibly handling money, fitting in, proper appearance, and learning to be all things to all partners all receive extensive treatment. It is in these largely subjective and too-often undiscussed areas that this book shines. Frankly confronting the reality and importance of personal and subjective preferences and prejudices in a number of non-performance aspects of firm life, the author tries to guide the young attorney over the fine line between totally compromising one's individuality and being an ego-centric individualist who compromises the firm's interests through inappropriate personal behavior. This is a thoughtful, candid, and well-written book that is simultaneously humorous, insightful, and disquieting. It honors no sacred cows, but rather attempts to provide new attorneys with honest (sometimes painfully honest) advice to guide them through the initial stage of private practice. In this the book succeeds, and the new attorney, or even second or third-year law student, would do well to make the investment. Richard F. Wareing, Esq., Connecticut Bar Journal , vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 308-310. - Richard Wareing - Connecticut Bar Journal

Who says there's no how-to manual for new lawyers just starting their first legal jobs? Jagged Rocks of Wisdom and The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book come about as close as possible to providing the Holy Grail for new associates: practical advice on navigating the day-to-day life as a real, live, memo-writing attorney. Jagged Rocks of Wisdom delivers its career advice in Rules, which are explained in short, pithy chapters and include anecdotes. The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book takes a more in-depth approach to helping new associates succeed in their jobs. Both books are quick reads and perfect companions. -- Carrie May Poniewaz, Florida Bar Journal, vol 81, no. 10, Nov. 2007

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Attorney, adjunct professor of business law, and author of The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide; Law School: Getting In, Getting Good, Getting the Gold; and Con Law: Avoiding...or Beating...the Scam of the Century (The Real Student's Guide to Law School and the Legal Profession).

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