Vets in Big Law

Bloomberg BNA has this timely story for Memorial Day about veterans who practice in fancy law firms. A partner at the Cravath firm writes:

“Most law firm hiring partners don’t have military experience and they probably don’t have any friends or close family members with military experience. While there’s a general level of respect for miliary service, I don’t think it’s widely understood how military experience can be applicable to legal work. The challenge for someone coming from the military is to educate the decision makers at the firms about the skills and experiences that veterans bring to the table and how these skills and experiences translate to legal work. We are always looking for junior associates who are able to work independently in a challenging environment, exercise good judgment, and take the initiative, and many veterans are able to do all of these things.”

It is interesting to compare the career trajectories and opportunities of those who enter the profession after relatively short periods of active duty with the challenges facing judge advocates who remain on active duty for longer periods, including through retirement eligibility. They seem more likely to seek post-service jobs in government as opposed to hanging out a shingle. Each path has its rewards.

Comments, anyone? (Real names, please.)