A Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide [Paperback]

Thane Josef Messinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book is a survival guide for the new attorney, with in-depth advice on law office life, including working with senior attorneys, legal research, memos, drafting, mistakes, grammar, email, workload, timesheets, reviews, teamwork, deportment, attitude, perspective, working with clients (and dissatisfied clients), working with office staff, using office tools, and, well, not just surviving but thriving in a new career. The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book is written for all law graduates, for any law office: a firm--large, medium, or small--agency, corporation, or the military.

Editorial Reviews

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. The background the author provides to the new associate is priceless. -- Law Practice Management (ABA), March 1997, pp. 60-62.

Jagged Rocks of Wisdom: Professional Advice for the New Lawyer, by Morten Lund; The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide, Second Edition, by Thane Josef Messinger.

Reviewed by Carrie May Poniewaz, Journal and News Law Clerk, Florida Bar Journal, vol 81, no. 10, Nov. 2007.

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.

Starting with the well-recognized premise that American legal education cranks out more legal thinkers than adept practitioners, these two career guides mix brutal honesty with humor to guide new associates through everything from dealing with partners to figuring out the art of rainmaking.

Jagged Rocks of Wisdom delivers its career advice in 21 "rules," which are explained in short, pithy chapters and include anecdotes showing what can happen if the rules are ignored. The rule titles provide a to-do list of essentials for a new associate, reminding the reader to proofread (Rule 1) and proofread again (Rule 2), while also offering guidance on keeping one's sanity amid the stress of the job.

The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book takes a more in-depth approach to helping new associates succeed in their jobs. This guide begins by breaking down any delusions of grandeur a new associate may bring to the job by reminding readers that "[w]hen you strut (or slink) into your office on that first day, you should feel comfortable with the knowledge that, in the legal hierarchy, you are about two levels above amoebae."

In addition to this help in putting one's role in the proper perspective, this book also apprises the reader of some of the unexpected predicaments that often arise in law firm culture. For example, a new associate may not expect to get caught in the middle of conflict among senior partners, and this book not only provides a warning of such shockers, but also offers expert advice on wiggling out of them with a gold star on the company record.

Both books are quick reads and perfect companions for those who suffer from first-job jitters. -- Florida Bar Journal, vol 81, no. 10, Nov. 2007.

Like most associates starting out, I have quickly realized that three years of law school education did not adequately prepare me for legal practice. This book is loaded with common-sense advice for new associates, presented in a humorous, readable manner. -- Joseph Lee, Washington State Bar News, March 1997, pp. 38-39.

Most junior associates are set on their way with neither map nor compass...although expected to arrive on time at the secret destination. In The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide, Messinger provides the map; his book is packed with frank and encouraging advice for beginning attorneys. When one of our new fall associates saw it on my desk, he wanted to read it then and there. I wish I had enough copies for each of them. Enjoy the book! I did. -- Research Advisor, issue 13, Jan/Feb 1998, p. 5­6.

This book should be required reading for all law students....by the time it reached my hands, two decades after law school, it was still relevant. This book could be the most worthwhile investment you make in your legal career. -- Jennifer Rose, Editor-in-Chief, The Compleat Lawyer (ABA), July 6, 1997.

This is a thoughtful, candid, and well-written book. The new attorney, or even second or third-year law student, would do well to make the investment. -- Richard Wareing, Connecticut Bar Journal, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 308-310.

From the Publisher

Who can forget the terror of a new job? Entering an unfamiliar world, with unknown expectations, is a nerve-wracking experience. In law, the new attorney is tackling not only a new job but also a very new, very different, and exceptionally stress-filled professional life...and mountains of student debt.

Each year, tens of thousands of new law graduates enter an already saturated job market...yet many are ill-prepared for survival in an ever more unforgiving, fast-paced profession. As law students, you're offered a wide array of guidebooks to succeed in law school, to excel in law exams, and to pass the bar exam. Upon entering the real world of law, however, you're are pushed back into a dark, dangerous jungle. The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book will be your guide to help you find your way to safety and career success.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fine Print Press; 2 edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888960191
• ISBN-13: 978-1888960198
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, loaded with good information., January 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide (Paperback)

I have found this to be an excellent book on the practice of law. After nearly two years in a medium-sized, boutique law firm, I think the situations and advice of the author are on-point. The book is a bit unconventional, but after a few chapters, I found it well-written and really funny, which makes it a lot easier to digest. I recommend this book to all new lawyers. It has information you won't find anywhere else - including stuff nobody ever mentioned to me - and you might pay a hundred bucks to duplicate it, if you could find a "Senior" lawyer who cared enough to tell you everything written in the book. Five stars - a definite "buy."

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best If Read Before Law School..., November 15, 2000

By 

L. J. Edson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide (Paperback)

Best if read before law school, or the LSAT's for that matter.

Nothing new here. The law is, for the most part, a thankless job. What other well paying job isn't?

The first year of practice can be a make or break year for the unprepared. Most of the book is common sense, but should be read because your head will be somewhere else, and you need all the help you can get.

It's a good book to read at the gym on the stationary bike, and short enough to be finished in a few work-outs.

Some of the reviews are crazy. This book will NOT put you on the fast track to making partner.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A helpful book for the new attorney, May 18, 2002

By 

H. Williamson (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide (Paperback)

This book includes solid advice for the new attorney. The problem most new lawyers have is not that they're not smart, but that they don't know what to do, and sometimes even how to behave in a profession setting. I recommend this book to all of our new associates. (Actually, it's quite humorous in parts.) Every one of them has told me that it has helped them in their jobs and in their relationships with senior partners. (One senior partner even told me he was impressed with how much better one associate was behaving. I didn't have the heart to tell him that this book was the reason why.) Strongly recommended.