Partner In Law: securing America's Business

Perry Mason, LA Law, and John Grisham provide images of the legal profession that often intrigue, mystify, and excite consumers. But all too often this image of law clouds the reality of the profession. As a partner in corporate law at Sullivan & Worcester, Susan Forest Barrett explains, "I've never once stepped foot in a court room and never will. I don't do trials." Corporate law by it's very definition helps companies. This, Barrett explains, is done primarily through drafting contracts and guiding businesses through transactions. "I work in securities mostly with mergers and acquisitions. With mergers, I help negotiate papers and procedures regarding the buying and selling of companies. And when a company wants to sell stocks or notes to the public, I deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC)." At Sullivan and Worcester which she adds is "a rather small firm," you are a member of a client team consisting of a select number of other lawyers in your specialty. Each team is assigned different clients, and "each lawyer manages her own case load." A typical transaction can take anywhere from three months to a year, Barrett states, and with four to five clients at any one time "it's not unusual to work very long days. Many days I get to work at nine and don't leave until eight or nine at night. And it's not unusual to have to stay up all night at times" to finish projects. "Corporate law is a service business," Barrett contends, "we need to meet the needs of our clients immediately" regardless of the time involved.

Barrett attended Columbia Law School immediately following graduation from Bates. During the summer of her second year she was recruited by Sullivan & Worcester, "the first year of law school is the most important," she explains, "firms recruit heavily starting the Fall of the second year." This summer internship led to a permanent position after completing her JD. Since "law school teaches analytical skills but not how to be a lawyer," your first few years as an associate are a trial period with the firm. "As a first year associate or what we call a 'grunt,'" she adds with a laugh, "you start out with small assignments; you may write part of a contract but even that is rare. By your second and third year you've seen more transactions so you're put on a client team. You start preparing documents and make phone calls by yourself. The fourth and fifth year you've experienced enough to develop a specialty in an area you're good at and the firm needs. You start to work on more complicated documents with less supervision. By the sixth and seventh years you run transactions and supervise first and second year associates. Then by the seventh and eighth years, the partners of the firm must decide if you are to be promoted to partner." Barrett's promotion to partner goes into effect this October.

For anyone considering the legal profession, Barrett warns of the competition that accompanies the intellectual stimulation, "in law school your competing for jobs, only a certain percent get a job and only a certain percent of that percent stay on the job." This competition transcends to the law firms that are forced to compete for clients. And while Barrett admits the long hours and demanding client load make it "a high burn-out job for many," there are also many advantages. It pays well, it's always challenging, and if you're good at what you do there are a lot of opportunities for advancement. For exposure to corporate law, Barrett recommends interning as a paralegal, "only a BA is required and you get to work closely with lawyers and experience what they do every day." Paralegals are needed in firms, investment banks, and any company with a legal staff. For students interested in law school, Barrett emphasizes, "go to the best school you can get into. It's not going to be fun no matter what. The school and your performance during the first year will determine what job you get."

by Jennifer Johnson '97