<p>GB, if schools explained the tensions that exist in law firms, how many would choose the field? </p>
<p>The issues are real and difficult: who controls a client and how is that pie divided? who needs to get paid to be retained? what happens when a client needs work from another office? what happens when office a is doing better than b? what if banking is dying on the vine while bankruptcy is raking it in? </p>
<p>Kids don’t understand that lawyers in firms make money by selling individual services, even if the clients are huge institutions. If a company makes a product, then the entire company contributes to the production and marketing and accounting for it. Law firms are individuals putting in hours and these individuals have to be grouped together but with work crossing department lines and with contacts at different levels, etc. It isn’t easy and money is involved. My dad used to say there are two kinds of vicious arguments: about money and about academic politics.</p>