Professional Support Lawyer Strikes a Balance in Biglaw
The second in a series of interviews with lawyers who have engineered careers that work for them is with a professional support lawyer (PSL) in a top international firm. She shared her inside insights on the upsides and downsides of the role, the difference in culture between boutiques and multinational firms, and the keys for securing a PSL position and thriving in the role.
Can you describe what being a PSL entails?
Every day is different. Instead of having clients in the direct sense like I had as an associate, now the attorneys are my clients, and my role is to make their job easier. I do that by helping put together pitches, organising hearings and filings, testing out new databases and tools, and conducting regular training sessions to train lawyers how to use them.
I run monthly practice-wide meetings where we discuss hot topics in our field and streamline articles and other outputs across the practice group. I do preliminary research for senior attorneys who are considering writing an article on a certain topic and need to know what, if anything, has been written on that already.
I centralise, coordinate, and keep the lines of communication open: even if an attorney comes to me with something I don’t know the answer to, I know who does, so I can put them in contact with the right person. Anything I can do to save attorneys time and make their lives easier, I am there for.
It sounds like you’re incredibly incredibly busy—what is your work/life balance like?
It’s nothing compared to what it was like when I was an associate: I have a work/life balance! I can count on one hand how many weekends I’ve had to work in the past several years. I wear a lot of hats and do a lot of things, but people understand that I’m not going to answer an email that I get at midnight. For the most part, it’s up to me to set my own boundaries.
How did you end up in this role?
I started my career at a boutique arbitration firm. I had to do basically everything already from day one: drafting briefs, doing cross-examinations, drafting awards. I was working 90, 100-hour weeks, and so although it was a valuable experience, it definitely wore me down, and didn’t allow me to see my kids as much as I wanted.
I started thinking about looking at other opportunities, but I didn’t really have time to see my family, eat, or sleep—much less job hunt. So I put on a few alerts and talked to a few head-hunters. Finally there was an announcement for the position I have currently. I remember hearing what the firm had in mind and thinking “I could do so much more”, and so in the interview I proposed additional ideas and really hit it off with the team.
My background as an associate is helpful because I understand the substance of the work as well as the pressure the attorneys are under. But you don’t have to have the typical Biglaw background to step into this role. The questions at my interviews focused on my experience managing cases, running hearings, pleading and preparing witnesses, rather than what universities I attended or whether or not I was on law review. They wanted to know that they could count on me, and so a big part of that is that I had been there, done that.
What do you miss about being an associate?
I really miss pleadings and hearings—getting the opposing counsel’s witness to admit something that they shouldn’t have on a cross-examination, or catching a contradiction between an exhibit that’s on the record and something they’ve put in their witness statement.
In general, I do miss digging into the legal issues, which can be frustrating, but at the end of the day, I look at all the benefits that come with that—especially the lack of stress—and it definitely is worth it.
Where do you get most of your meaning or satisfaction from in your current role?
The training and mentoring—associates know that they can come to me for any questions they have. I get the most joy from being the human side of the practice, particularly when helping younger female associates in what is still a very male-dominated practice.
I also enjoy implementing initiatives that are near and dear to me — for example diversity and environmental initiatives.
I like my job because I’m still smack-dab in the middle of the world of arbitration, still working as a lawyer, but without the added pressure of clients, partners and billables that go with the role of a typical associate working in arbitration in an international firm.
What have been the biggest surprises for you since transitioning from associate to PSL?
At first, I was in awe at all of the resources that we had. At my old firm, we had a few interns, but basically all of the admin—printing, binding, scanning—was done by the attorneys.
What also surprised me is the difference in culture between a boutique and a large international firm. Because we were such a small team, my old firm would have drinks together every Friday, and because we worked a lot, we often ate two meals a day together. This is less true of the larger firm I work for now, where it’s more common for lawyers to eat at their desks. Friends who moved from boutiques to larger firms have had similar experiences.
What are some of the things you like most about your job?
When you’re an associate in a firm, your time management really is dependent on so many other people. And so one of the things I really appreciate is being able to take back control of my calendar and set my own deadlines. I can shut down my computer at seven o’clock and know that if I get emails coming in, they can be dealt with tomorrow.
I love the fact that I’m working with really intelligent and kind people who are good listeners and like to discuss creative approaches to problems. It is a really enriching environment to be a part of and I’m really happy to be a part of this team.
What are the main skills that allow you to be successful in the role?
You have to be extremely organised and self-motivated. If an attorney is asking me for something, it means I probably didn’t do my job right. I try to anticipate needs before they come up—that means keeping an eye on the calendar, communicating, and being good with people.
Being able to handle stress is also important, because even if my job isn’t super stressful, I’m often dealing with stressed-out people.
What advice would you have for people who are currently in standard associate roles in big firms and maybe looking for a change but not really sure where to turn?
If you like the firm you’re in, see if there are ways to transition into a PSL-type role. If that role is already filled, talk to that person to see if they have connections with people in other firms; when things do open up, the small community of PSLs typically hears about it.
Jon wants to hear from you
Are you currently reflecting on how to gain more satisfaction from your career and curious how coaching could help you? Or are you a fulfilled lawyer who would like to share anonymously your story with others who are struggling to find their own way?