International Law Firms

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Hi Guys,

I got a job yesterday! woohooo! I managed to get into a top law firm doing support and hopefully the start of my career as i've been moving around a fair but but im hoping this is the one for the next 5 years and perhaps more!

I wanted to ask if anyone has experience with international law firms.... the pressures and environment and how they have coped... Also how have you found it working with legal applications.. is it something that can be picked up quickly or does it usually take some time..

Also how long do you feel it might take to 'settle' in and really get into things..

Im doing 1st/2nd line role and hopefully progess into 3rd line.. but i want to try my very best and try do things bang on right... sometimes hard if forget lil things..

any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

 

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I have a feeling one of the staff here has an insight into that field...

 

Ah great! Any ideas which one? lol

 

Congratulations!!

 

Thanks dude... know anyone working in the legal industry by any chance, might have a insight into this?

Cheers!

 

Try having a chat with Arroryn ;)

 

@Congratulations!@ ( < , > )

 

cheers guys.. tried to contact Arroryn but no luck thanks anyway

 

I worked in a large international law firm for 8+ years. Left there in July '09. I was doing 1st/2nd line desktop support for the most part.

Let me know what you want to know!

D.

 

Coooool! Finally found someone! lol

I jus wanted to know how you found it coping in that type of environment.. how long did it take you to adjust and familiar yourself with legal software like carpe diem... interwoven.... deltaview ect...

Also i worry about making mistakes.. like for other jobs.. i go and do a task and most of the time its fine... but sometimes your forget something small.. or you didnt get it exactly right... how did you find it dealing with high profile partners..

I definately want to try and do well in this company and make sure that i am in the good books from the start.. is there any advice or tips you can share working in law firm for many years..

i have worked in law firm before but not as large and corporate as this one.


thanks!

 

The legal apps that I used wasn't too hard to get to grips with because all the installation notes were documented pretty much. I did use Delta View, but non of the others (although I have heard of them). I used LaserForms and WinScribe (not strictly a legal application, but digital dictation) also.

I think for me the key thing at the time when I started there (fresh out of uni) was to learn how the users used the application in their day-to-day roles so that I had a better understanding when I came to support it. I wouldn't worry too much about making mistakes because we all do, whether in the workplace or out of work. Any new fixes you find, document it.

I never found the associate directors and the partners the problem if I'm honest as they were friendly and willing to have a quick chat to you while you attended to their issue on their laptop. The people who I found to have little manners were normally the secretaries, paralegals, trainee solicitors or the newly qualified solicitors, lol! But these types of people were very much the minority out of over two and a half thousand people.

I think the key element here is to treat everyone the same, from the postroom office junior to the managing/senior partner. I remember once just before I left that we had a big meeting with our manager and all the guys on the helpdesk in the head office and all the other offices via vid conference about the service we provide. Stats showed that we're providing an excellent service, but some key partners on the board thought otherwise. So our manager wanted us to give them VIP treatment. Suffice to say it all kicked off in the meeting and our manager (bless her) was almost in tears because of the backlash from all of us.

This is one of the reasons I left as I felt whatever service I provided it wasn't good enough, and the fact I couldn't get into the networks/system administration team there. With large law firms, there is usually an army if IT staff (roughly 70 of us when I was there) and most of them are developers, PMs etc. The desktop and networks team (including managers) made up for about 25 of that total. And with networks seemingly only hiring externally, it was frustrating for us lads who wanted to progress to 3rd line to get our foot in the door there. I did enjoy working there greatly and do keep in contact with the lads to this day, but the management of the IT teams there left a lot to be desired as there was absolutely no room for progression at all. It was also frustrating having a manager who didn't appreciate the relationship between 2nd line desktop work and systems/network admin work. She was once a legal secretary and not from a technical background, so I think she sees the two as two separate careers entirely (she once said why do we always bang on about working in the network team in appraisals, lol!), which for some it can be. As we know, some people have no desire to move out of 1st/2nd line support and enjoy that side of IT.

I wish you far better luck than I did when you decided you want to move into 3rd line support ! I think for me, I just needed that bit of luck there as I felt I sold myself well and managers knew of my achievements due to the time I'd been there. Maybe my face didn't fit there, but I'm glad of the experience there and I'm a better systems/network administrator for it !

 

Thank you very much for this! It gives a good insight to your position there.

I think i will take your advice and try look at how things are done from a user perspective then should help alot tring to support and familiarise myself with the different softwares. I'll also buy a pad and try note down all errors and problems so that i have a fuller understanding and reference to problems for provide better support.

A few people have said that now about the partners being okay and instead its the secretaries that are harder to deal with lol but thats fine in that case, id rather have those people complaining then the people at the top which makes me feel alot better.. i was stressing out about the partners and making mistakes with them.. dont want to loose my job in the first week lol

I really want to get into the 3rd line work which is what im hoping after i can get very famililar with 1/2nd line within this company as ive been doing it for 3+ years now hopefully i can progress into 3rd line and step up my career. Its interesting that they would hire mainly externally because i would imagine if you could display skills and show that you are capable for the role especially if you are already there.. it would be much easier to progress internally and save money i would imagine too from the company perspective..

This is the biggest problem i have found regarding progression and the reason i have left companies and been doing contracting for a while... because there is no benefit staying with a company that offers no progression, i mean its a waste of time once you have got everything you can...

I am stressed about this role because after much searching and moving around i feel this company could provide me that progression route and i dont want to blow it when i arrive... It is a smaller team so for that reason i think it would be alot more hands on and the work would be distributed more evening and also opportunties to work along side infrastructure staff...

Its amazing that a legal secretary would then be the manager for IT... I could see why she wouldnt understand... but that would be soo fustrating being under her management because i think for most of us support guys... we all want to get into the networking team! I would of most definately found a exit route if i was in your shoes lol

I think for yourself you have 8 years+ experience now so you will not have any issues finding jobs.. and hopefully you can get into networking too!


Thanks for the advice! Very much appreciated.

 

Thanks for getting back to me Arroyn

I think i will definately take on board yourself and Agents advice regarding customer service.... actually in my interview i focused it totally around customer service and tried to show to get along with everyone and get along well with people is something very important in IT.. so i think i will defo try stick to that and especially as others are saying same thing it can only mean something positive.. and hopefully working with seniors or non manager staff wont come as too much pressure and will be able to get along..

Sometimes a title can be offputting especially as im someone really trying my very best to progress in IT and climb the ladder as high as possible.. I think even if i am recruited as a 1st/2nd line.. i just have to try harder to show my skills and show that i am capable for learning more and try progress in that way.. I have no problem doing 1st/2nd line work aswell its part of job.... and you have to do what you have to do at the end of the day but of course learning new things is the whole excitement in IT i feel and what keeps you on your toes.

Its good to know that others including yourself have titles such as 1st line support but doing much more complex tasks.. I hope my career follows in a similar way.

Im currently studying my CCNA and hopefully once ive passed that, try do some Server exams also which will hopefully demonstrate my capabilities and if a opportunity comes along.. it will give me abit more leverage and something to back myself up with for those roles.

I start on Monday so.. hopefully this is a start to a succesful and rewarding career for me.. I will keep you guys posted how things go for me