9 | Holding Big Tech Accountable with Alexandra Walsh, plus NPLA Co-President Jan Rotich

I'd like to return to the perspective of somebody who is thinking about getting into plaintiff's side practice, whether they're a student or they're a lawyer thinking about making that move.

And I'm just curious, especially given your path, which I just love the route and I love how all of them are different.

People get into this in different ways.

But what advice do you share with those lawyers who are thinking, yeah, you know what, I think I do want to go to the plaintiff's side or I want to switch to the plaintiff's side.

What insights can you share with them?

I would say, you know, do your research.

And just like on the defense side, where there are some firms that, you know, you could feel really good about, you know, working at and being at, like, there's, you know, there's some firms that where what you're trying to accomplish with your plaintiff's side practice may not be the right fit.

So they're not all created equal.

You know, I mean, I have kids who are now in college or graduating from college, and I'm constantly telling them, like, reach out to this person, ask if they're, if, you know, they have a few minutes to talk to you.

Like I said, I love when people say, can I get your advice? You know, I mean, I don't know, maybe it's makes me feel like someone, you know, my kids don't want to listen to me.

So someone else wants to, you know, but, but I would say like, build your network and, you know, take people when they say like, give me a call sometime, some old crotchety old plaintiff lawyer like me, like call me up and I'll share with you.

Cause you really, this job is such a job of like relationships and there's just a lot of human interaction that you really need to, I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to, what, so the advice is talk to a lot of people, you know, hear their perspectives.

You know, another piece of advice is make clear to, you know, a law firm that you're considering joining that you get that like you're you're part of the team, you're going to do what needs to be done to advance the case, but that you also have your own professional goals that are really important to you.

I hired a woman, amazing lawyer, maybe It's hard to imagine life without her, so it probably hasn't been that long.

But she'd been doing just a lot of case management, which is very important and can be very gratifying.

She's really good at it.

She's taught me a ton about it.

But she said, a big part of the reason I want to make this switch is I want to be in court.

There's sort of pre-litigation and litigation.

I want exposure to that.

And she really made that clear.

And six months in, when she said, Don't forget, you know, and we've been, you know, she's now been to two trials.

And so stand up for yourself and advocate for the experiences that you need and deserve and that will ultimately like strengthen your team because now you're another person who can, you know, do that stuff in court.

And Alex, what do you say to a student who's thinking, well, maybe I'll start my career on the defense side, maybe try to pay off some school debt, that kind of thing, then switch later on?

I say, you know, there's a lot of wisdom to that.