Originally published on August 2, 2011 in our free BigLaw newsletter. Instead of reading BigLaw here after the fact, sign up now to receive future issues in realtime.
From Ocean's 11 to X-Men, great teams consist of a diverse cast with unique skills. You can't make a team of quarterbacks any more than you can make a team of linemen or even shortstops with 3,000 hits. But in large law firms there are no formal positions. To help you build a 1998 or better yet a 1927 Yankees from the law students wrapping up their summers, the midlevels flooding your human resources department, and the partners at competing firms dropping hints at your squash club, this issue of BigLaw identifies the five types of lawyers you need among your ranks to win that championship ring — and boost your profits per partner.
1. The Commander
A leader is anyone with a big enough office or tall chair, but a Commander actually makes the trains run on time. If your junior associates have to ask basic questions like research deadlines, someone at the top is not doing his job. Good Commanders foresee and immediately put an end to potential problems, believing they are responsible when a subordinate fails.
Where to Find Them
Look for straight talk and a lack of ambiguity. When you ask about leadership positions they've held, they'll talk less about the organization and more about what they accomplished.
Potential Problems
The Commander needs to be able to issue marching orders without approval of a committee or anyone's blessings. Make it clear who is in charge of a matter, what authority they have, and then step back. Mixed signals and confused leadership hurt morale and turn simple projects into quagmires.
2. The Strategist
In litigation, the Strategist is a master of procedure and evidence, able to predict the opposition's strategy. On the corporate side, they will spot pitfalls in a deal structure or poor executive incentives. In estate planning, they can sniff out who needs a pre-nuptial agreement, and when sibling rivalries will put the family business in jeopardy.
Where to Find Them
Strategists love games, but hate leaving things to chance or other people. If he's a poker player, he doesn't think in terms of the hand in front of him (too much luck involved), but how his playing style will hold up over the next five years. Chess enthusiasts can be a red herring — the rules are too esoteric and the skill doesn't always translate to other strategic situations.
Potential Problems
Strategists seek out high level competition, which can leave them vulnerable to seemingly inferior strategies much like a Cold War military machine is vulnerable to guerillas. A behavioral economics background will make this debility less likely, but don't be afraid to bring in the second-string to play defense while the strategist plays offense.
3. The Super Genius
An LSAT score of 167-168 automatically qualifies one for Mensa membership. Virtually everyone at a top law school is a "genius." The Super Genius is a different species — the same way 6'2" is tall, and then there's Shaq.
This person combines top-notch analytical skills with a memory like a sponge, enabling them to dig through information and concepts to amazing depths your average smarty-pants can barely fathom. Judges quote these lawyers in their opinions (see e.g., Eugene Volokh).
Where to Find Them
Super Geniuses exist in every field. But in the humanities it's unclear who's who. The 170 and 120 IQ English majors earn the same 4.0. Improve your odds at landing a Super Genius by looking for people who excelled in chemistry, computer science, math, physics, and perhaps biology if you're desperate.
Potential Problems
Super Geniuses have a terrific work ethic, but not for mundane matters other lawyers can handle. They need to be on the cutting edge. If you don't have an appellate case for the Super Genius to work on, don't assign her to a document review. Instead, give her an article or amicus brief — or send her to an advanced NITA course. The prestige she brings your firm will offset her lower billable hours.
4. The Puck
Despite the negative stereotypes it perpetuates, there are times when you will need to frustrate opposing counsel, derail a deposition, or make a witness succumb to a case of word salad on the stand. The person you want for these necessities is The Puck. Think Bud White in LA Confidential — but with a law degree.
There are bulldogs, jerks, and a whole lexicon of colorful terms for people who rely on blunt force. They can win cases, but it's messy and potentially disastrous. Pucks never need to explain to the judge the foul language in a deposition transcript; they're the ones who tricked opposing counsel into the filthy rant.
Where to Find Them
He is equally social and competitive. While some people tout their accolades or win-loss records, Pucks are in it purely for the fun of a good challenge. When asked about his interests, he'll discuss process more than results.
Potential Problems
Avoid giving him busywork or false deadlines. He has the ultimate BS detector. Rather than appreciate the extra billable hours and experience, he'll sow discontent among his peers.
5. The Workhorse
The Workhorse is the type of person you don't have to ask to pull an all-nighter updating a filing that isn't due for a week. Instead, she stays at the office until the entire firm's workload is cleared, or she's ordered to leave. She likes to work weekends. Don't ask why, just count your blessings.
Where to Find Them
Socially awkward without any intriguing or compelling qualities, she works hard but lacks ambition. Look for extracurricular activities with no top leadership positions.
Potential Problems
After billing 27,000 hours in eight years, she'll come up for partnership. But, odds are she lacks leadership and management skills. Make sure she always has a more senior partner above her running the show.
Conclusion
Each of these lawyer types is extremely rare, possessing knowledge or skills beyond the typical law review editor. Though seemingly mundane, even the Workhorse's endurance makes her an outlier. That's the point though. You're not interested in a wild card wonder 1997 or 2003 Florida Marlins, you're building a dynasty. Not everyone at your firm needs to fit into one of these types nor should they. But you need a few of each. And as hard as it is to find someone who fits one of these molds, it's even harder to mentor them and keep them at your firm. Good luck. You'll need it.
Written by BL1Y of Constitutional Daily.
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