The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: law reviewers, business clothing

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.

Product Description

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fine Print Press; 2 edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888960191
• ISBN-13: 978-1888960198
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,284 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #10 in	Books > Entertainment > Humor > Lawyers & Criminals
  #14 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > One-L > Legal Profession
  #14 in	Books > Nonfiction > Law > One-L > Legal Profession

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 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.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely the best book available for new lawyers!, August 25, 1998

By A Customer

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

I strongly disagree with the comments in the San Antonio review. This book is even MORE valuable for those who will NOT be in big firms. I work in a smaller law office, and the scenarios in the Young Lawyer's Jungle Book could have been taken from a fly on the wall. I see some of the same mistakes described in the book being made all around me. I've caught myself more than a few times before I was about to make a mistake in public. This book is an absolute MUST for EVERY new lawyer. It has advice that applies to small-firm lawyers (and government and public-interest lawyers too) as well as for those in big firms. Indeed, I showed this book to friends, some are in big firms and some in other types of law offices, and they ALL really, really liked it. (Give me my book back, Peter!) I also disagree on the comment about the author's writing style. I kept picking it up and re-reading it, when someone wasn't asking to borrow it. (Don't leave it in your office!) The book is both funny and profound. It's sad that something hilarious is assumed to be inconsequential. Nothing could be further from the truth with this book. Yes, there were parts that I didn't get at first, but on the whole the Young Lawyer's Jungle book manages, sometimes in a single sentence, to make me laugh and to make me think about serious aspects of law practice and professional life, sometimes long after I've read it. I also read Proceed With Caution. It does present a picture of big-firm life (which is not really that much different from better smaller firms, because many firms, like mine, are started by lawyers who were partners in large firms). But Proceed with Caution is not really an advice guide, it's more like a diary. And it's not really in the same league as the Young Lawyer's Jungle Book. This book earns its five stars. If you're not yet finished with college, still in law school, or just started working as a lawyer, ANY type of lawyer, you absolutely, positively MUST read this book.

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

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."