During my first two years of law school, I talked to many attorneys. Whenever I notice someone has been at the same job for an extended period, I ask them why. Lateral movement and job-hopping have become far more common in the legal industry. Prospective attorneys value knowing what makes people want to stay in the same place. They always respond with the same answer: “the people.”
I used to ask college admissions counselors a similar question: What makes your school different? One counselor told me a story about the ten colleges in their region that got together to improve their institutions. They were all asked to put one word in a hat to answer the same question. Each counselor I talked to and each counselor at the conference answered the same: “the people.”
I started at FGMC in August of 2024 with the Land Use and Real Estate (LURE) team, without much substantive legal knowledge in land use or real estate. As I returned the work product, I received significant, legitimate feedback on how to improve. By my second semester this summer, I was given responsibilities I never would have imagined as a 2L in law school. Being entrusted with legitimate work with real consequences speaks to how attorneys at FGMC treat clerks. It’s not just busy work. Attorneys are invested in the success of clerks and the development of their legal careers.
For future clerks, ask for work. There is a pervasive fear among inexperienced clerks that questions will lead to being shouted down or ignored. They will not. Attorneys want you to succeed; that is why you are there.
Then there is the personal side. During the spring semester, there were significant personal complications for me and other members of the LURE team. If people needed time, it was granted. Support was apparent in the office, while people were away tending to their personal lives. People checked in during the workday, regardless of the stresses of that day’s work. People cared.
I can not confidently say what area of law I will practice when I graduate, but I know that FGMC is where the concept of “the people” made sense to me. Legal work can be stressful and tiresome, but can also be rewarding and affirming. When you find the right people, these qualities far outweigh the former. FGMC has the people.
