MYTH #3
THERE ARE LOTS OF GREAT REFERRAL AND OVERFLOW WORK FOR YOUNG ATTORNEYS FROM ESTABLISHED SENIOR ATTORNEYS.
There was a comment also made recently about how there are all these great referral cases or overflow work from experienced or established attorneys to young attorneys available just for the asking. Older, experienced attorneys with established specialty practices will typically take files on referral and may pay out a referral fee. You may also have friends in the profession that refer conflict cases or try to reciprocate referrals.
However, the "dirty little secret" of referrals to young, inexperienced attorneys is that many times the files are worthless. Chances are, if an attorney is trying to refer a case to a newly-minted attorney it's because he or she can't make money on it. An attorney once told me that the only way to make a living practicing law is to have someone you can refer your freebies and non-money makers to so you can work on files that do pay. He referred to these files as "barnacles" because they would accumulate on your practice and gunk everything up so that you couldn't move quickly to turn your files over and make money.
For example, a typical scenario is that you get a client with a good file which you may take on contingency. Now this person has you as an Official Attorney. They try to put every other little problem in their life on your desk to solve. For example, if you are helping them get a share of an estate, then you are also probably going to get asked to sort out their back child support case, and help with the neighbor who plays loud music, and get their stuff back from their girlfriend who moved out over the weekend, and help get their child back in school who just got suspended "for no reason."
None of those things pay but you either end up taking a bunch of calls discussing them or you need to find someone to refer them to so you can get back to work on the case the does pay. That's where knowing a young attorney willing to accept referrals in Family Law, Real Estate, Tort, and Education Law sure comes in handy.
The myth that "there are lots of great referral and overflow cases for young attorneys from established senior attorneys" is BUSTED.
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