Welcome to the Bar

One would think that by the time a student gets accepted into and graduates from law school, passes the bar and meets other requirements to practice law, the hardest part would be finished, but that’s not necessarily so, say newly minted lawyers. Competition for jobs and navigation of the legal system present plenty of their own challenges.

In September 2010, 644 people passed the bar exam and fulfilled other requirements for practicing law in the state, said Beth Riggert, communications counsel for the Supreme Court of Missouri. Those new attorneys add to the 24,195 attorneys actively practicing law in Missouri, with yet another 5,200 in good standing, but who are not practicing, currently employed or living in Missouri, she said.

The new lawyers also join an already competitive nationwide job market.

In its Perspectives on Fall 2009 Law Student Recruiting report, released in early 2010, the National Association for Law Placement Inc. found that the U.S. job market for entry-level legal employment shrank dramatically, particularly for second-year students seeking positions for summer 2010, with the median number of job offers extended dropping to 7 in 2009, down from 10 in 2008 and 15 in 2007 across firms of all sizes.

The Washington, D.C.,-based group – which focuses on legal career counseling, planning, recruitment and retention, as well as professional development – also found that many of the 2009 law school graduates who found work had to wait a bit before starting their jobs, with 85 percent of the schools providing data for the study reporting that the start date for at least one graduate was pushed beyond Dec. 1, 2009.

Springfield Business Journal interviewed three lawyers new to the Ozarks job market – one in the
public sector, one in private practice and one who’s looking for the right job opportunity.

Landing in the Ozarks
Lindsey Phoenix, an assistant prosecuting attorney at the Greene County Prosecutor’s office, is among those who passed the bar and officially entered the legal profession in September.

“I feel very fortunate to just get the job,” Phoenix said. “A lot of my colleagues don’t have positions yet.”

Phoenix, a Springfield native who earned her undergraduate degree at Drury University, said she began questioning her decision to study law about midway through law school when she realized a lot of graduates were still looking for jobs long after passing the bar.

“I started panicking – oh, my God, what did I do? I had that mid-law-school crisis. I had to make the determination: cushy job, or do something that I knew that I would love,” Phoenix said.

For attorney Jeremy Cranford, his chief goal right now is nabbing a job in Springfield. Though he passed the Missouri bar exam a year and a half ago after earning a law degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Cranford went to Florida, where he earned his Master of Laws focused on real property from the University of Miami in May and stayed long enough to pass the bar exam in that state, too.

Even armed with an advanced degree, Cranford acknowledges he might have a harder time finding a job.

“I’m actually at a little bit of a disadvantage, because a lot of people coming through law school will have done internships in town, and that kind of thing, but I wasn’t in that loop because I had left,” he said, noting that so far, he’s been focusing on networking with people in city government, as well as local developers, architects and property management companies to get a feel for the market.

A change of direction
Phoenix was solely interested in defense while still in school, she said, noting that as a student at St. Louis University School of Law, she had the opportunity to be an intern with criminal defense attorneys.

“(In) St. Louis City, they have a horrible reputation for corruption in their police department,” she said. “There was a lot of that that I saw in a very short time in law school … so I settled on the defense.”

That changed when she assisted Springfield defense attorneys Dee Wampler and Joe Passanise on a case being tried in St. Louis.

She was introduced to then-Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Darrell Moore and a law-enforcement system she could trust, she said, and her attitude changed.

After interviewing with Moore, Phoenix joined the prosecuting attorney’s office in October.

Brandon Howard – who passed the bar in September and entered private practice as an associate at Baird, Lightner, Millsap & Harpool PC – knows well the level of competition for new lawyers.

Howard, who graduated from Missouri State University and pursued his law degree at St. Louis University in his home city, said he always planned to return to Springfield to practice, to keep a promise he’d made to his wife.

“Unfortunately, like a lot of attorneys, I came out in a down time. I sent my résumé to a lot of firms,” Howard said, noting that the firm where he now works was at the top of his employment wish list.

“I’m not going to lie. It was definitely a challenging process. I finished law school, and I had twin boys after my first year and had another child my third year. To get out married with three kids, it was definitely scary,” Howard said.

But the hard work and uncertainty paid off, he said.

“It’s phenomenal. I’m practicing family law, insurance defense — it’s great. I’m getting to work all aspects of the law and getting a feeling that I’m really helping my clients out,” Howard said.

Navigating new terrain
Even after landing a job, plenty of challenges lie ahead for lawyers either new to practice or new to the area, said Crista Hogan, executive director of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association.
Hogan said new lawyers typically do fine with legal issues and procedure, but the more practical, daily concerns can cause trouble.

“Meeting the circuit clerk and having him speak for five minutes on which lines to stand in when you go to file something … this is all a big, giant mystery if they have to figure it out all by themselves,” Hogan said.

SMBA began a mentorship program in 2007 that pairs new attorneys with others who have been practicing for a few years and helps them meet others in the field.

“The very simple fact of having them get acquainted with their colleagues has made a pretty significant difference. Instead of walking in and not knowing anyone and not knowing which door to go in, they’ll recognize several people immediately,” Hogan said, adding that about 20 attorneys a year participate in the program, which includes monthly meetings and fields trips to local courthouses and the Greene County Jail.

Howard said there have been some surprises with his entry into private practice, but he’s gotten the support he needs by turning to the dozen or so other attorneys in his practice.

“I know in a spot like Kansas City or St. Louis, younger associates are stuck in law libraries and it’s years before they get out and get to experience what it’s like to practice law,” he said. “Here, I’m getting that experience while I have a strong support system of individuals who help me out.”

Even as he seeks a position with a local firm, Cranford said he’s found support both through SMBA’s mentorship program and with a local firm.

Cranford said he’s open to practicing just about any type of law, though in the long run, he wants to put his advanced degree to use. Since returning to the Ozarks, he said he’s handled a few small matters for local businesses, so he’s not ruling out a solo practice.

“I’m kind of on my way toward doing the individual thing, but I would greatly prefer the resources and the knowledge base of a larger firm where I can work with somebody who’s very experienced and make sure I’m doing everything correctly,” he said.

Features Editor Maria Hoover contributed to this story.[[In-content Ad]]