Monday, June 06, 2011  The rat race has ended …. (well there are
alternatives)  Lawyers today have an option, to work at top law
firms, have lower billable hour targets, have a life and opt out
of the rat race. A recent article in the New York Times
highlighted how large law firms have been setting up operations
in lower cost semi-urban centers across the States for lawyers
who can apply for a ‘career associate’ position. The career
associate position will accommodate lawyers who will take on a
lower billable hour target and never get on the partner track.
Law firms today are morphing (finally) into how successful
corporations operate. There are a few who can bring in the
business, manage the firm and perform at the executive level.
There are others who are content to practice their profession
and don’t require the i-need-to-be-a-partner aspiration as a
prerequisite.  This model has some clear advantages. This
alleviates the reverse pyramid effect that plagues many midsized
law firms where the number of part