IndyBar: A Collaborative Column: Has Practicing Law Really Changed?

A. Scott Chinn, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, IndyBar Masters Division Chair; Monica McCoskey, Paganelli Law Group, IndyBar Young Lawyers Division Chair

This is a joint column co-written monthly by the Chairs of the Masters Division and Young Lawyers Division to compare, contrast, and relate practicing law 25+ years ago to practicing law today. Each column will examine a new general subject.

MOVING UP OR MOVING SIDEWAYS?

Career growth takes a variety of forms for attorneys depending on seniority, practice group, employer-size, the list goes on. For decades, it was standard to stick with your first job out of law school through retirement. In fact, whether private or public sector, most seasoned practitioners have multiple mergers, administrations, and inter-office transformations under their belts. The same cannot necessarily be said for a majority of new to mid-level lawyers. What was once frowned upon rendering a person a “job hopper” is becoming a trend in our legal community. The constant climb up the ladder has evolved to moving side to side through the market. Is it still commonplace for a lawyer to stay with one employer their entire legal career? Or should we expect the highly competitive lateral market to takeover?

For Monica, and many other young lawyers, enduring law school during the pandemic led to impersonal remote internships impairing one’s ability to determine what constitutes a “good fit.” A quick review of LinkedIn reveals many her classmates have cycled through one or more employers since graduating in 2021; changed practice areas; gone in house; shifted from public to private sector or vice versa; moved to a different state; and even pursued other careers entirely. How do we explain the uptick in younger lawyers moving from employer to employer every few years? We can look to what they typically value: better training/mentorship, more humane billing expectations, improved compensation, location preferences, etc.

When Scott graduated from law school 31 years ago, there is no question the prevailing view of modeled success was obtaining a good law firm job and fitting within its structure to and through partnership. Changing jobs for junior lawyers – especially lateral moves without clear benefits in the new position – could be seen as at least mildly “tainting.” Scott had four jobs in his first seven years as a lawyer and was likely mildly tainted by that – only overcome because three of those jobs were in government and were able to be seen as progress toward building public sector expertise. Fast-forward 25 years and Scott’s view as a person involved in recruiting, mentoring, and supervising young lawyers is that the whole ballgame has changed. While there are many factors that no doubt play into how changing jobs affects a new lawyer’s “brand,” most legal employers are now focused on overall “fit” and a reasonable trajectory of success for hiring a newer lawyer – as opposed to trying to find only those lawyers who fit a constructed model of being a forever-lawyer in their organizations.

While many senior attorneys fall into the group of individuals who have evolved with their employer, we are seeing frequent lateraling across this demographic too. Perhaps the values spurring a job-move overlap with those of young lawyers (more money, more equity, more freedom).

It goes without saying, the journey looks different for everyone—the path to the top is almost never a straight line. Years of dedication to one employer is an admirable approach to the legal profession, providing a clear path to advancement; more gradual learning curve; and deeper knowledge in a specific field. But for some, personal growth and satisfaction demand movement. Making a lateral move may provide fresh challenges; reduce burnout; and serve as a steppingstone to faster or more suitable growth. In today’s legal market, employers must institute effective ways to reward the “loyal lifers” while staying acutely aware of the competition. Talent moves fast.•

A. Scott Chinn is a partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP where he represents public and private clients in state, municipal, and public sector legal matters. He provides advisory, transactional, and general counsel representation for public finance, procurement, regulatory, infrastructure, environmental, and economic development matters. Prior to joining the firm, he served as counsel to Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and as Corporation Counsel to the City of Indianapolis. Chinn currently serves as the Chair of the Masters Division, is a member of the IndyBar Board of Directors, and is a past president. Chinn is also a Distinguished and Life Fellow of the IndyBar Foundation. He earned his B.A. from Indiana University and his J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Monica McCoskey is an attorney with Paganelli Law Group where her practice concentrates on business and real estate litigation. Prior to joining Paganelli Law Group, McCoskey was an associate attorney with a law firm in Northern Indiana, where she practiced securities litigation and represented plaintiffs and defendants in various legal matters. She is the Chair of the Young Lawyers Division, a member of the IndyBar Board of Directors, and Co-Chair of the Social Subcommittee for the Litigation Section’s Executive Committee. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.